


One More Time

by queen_egotist



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Crack, Denial, Fluff, Haru as Fairy Godmother, M/M, Rin as Cupid, Romance, Seduction, Smut, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-06
Updated: 2015-06-20
Packaged: 2018-02-16 09:15:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 41,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2264118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queen_egotist/pseuds/queen_egotist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Because of Sousuke's idiotic and cowardly actions, he hurt Makoto and left him in Japan to pursue his dreams in Australia with Rin. Even after five years of separation, both still craved each other. One wanting to repent for his sins, and the other locked his heart in denial. They desire each other to no end, but how will they mend it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One More Time

**Author's Note:**

> First 2 chapters serve as an introduction and was written in their own POVs.  
> 3rd chapter will be the start of the main story.
> 
> Thank you.

It wasn’t easy. It was never easy. Some people said you can move on within or after six months. Some said it’ll be a year or two. Time can heal wounds. However, it can never remove scars. I never wanted to get healed. I don’t want to. Even after five painful years, I still can’t forget him. He’s all I’m dreaming of ever since. I still want him. I want him back. I want to feel his arms around me once more. I want to feel his warmth, his lips against mine.

Just one more time.

I felt the heat of the waking sun and rolled on my bed and caressed the empty spot near mine. That was his place before. I used to wake him up with my kisses because he would never hear the sound of our alarm clock. I beg and plead to all the gods every single night. I wanted to see him again. I wanted to hear his voice, calling my name over and over.

Just let me see him once more.

It was still a bit too early for me start my day, five minutes past six. I decided to do my usual routine: fixing the bed, eating breakfast, having a quick shower and making some additional plans for our café. It was co-owned with my best friend, Haru. We decided to start our own business three years ago since we wanted to stay in this little town and got sick of the usual office jobs at the city. He took care of the menu and I dealt with management.

I got out of my apartment and went down the stairs. The shop only took a few minutes from my place, it was already past seven in the morning and we usually open at eight. However, when I reached the shop, it was already open. I went inside and found my friend, cleaning the windows. 

 “Good Morning,” I greeted him, he just nodded and continued wiping the windows. “Why are we opening early?”

 “It’s Monday, our regulars usually goes here before eight, so I thought we can open earlier this time,” he answered as he finished and went to the backroom.

 “Service for their loyalty, right?” I asked as I followed him and changed into my uniform. 

 “You can say that,” he replied, a faint smile obvious on his face.

 “GOOD MORNING, BOSSES!” cheered one of our baristas, Ryo, a fiery fellow with a semi-shaved haircut. “I got an e-mail from Haru-san last night, so I’m here early!”

 “Thank you,” I smiled as usual to him, walking towards the counter, “I’ll take care of the orders while you get ready.”

 Two customers came in, one is a regular, and I casually greeted them and took their orders. They sat at couch near the corner windows. I went on and prepared their orders: One Mocha Frappe with extra espresso, one Americano and 2 Cinnamon Danish with cream cheese. I was about to serve when Ryo tapped my shoulder and insisted to let him serve. A moment later, Ayaka came in, a petite college student with long black hair, and greeted everyone feebly. She nodded at me and went to the backroom. After a few minutes, she took over my position and I went to our small office where I found Haru checking his e-mails. I sat at my own desk and checked most of our financial accounts for the month. The profit was great since we had a lot of regular customers. Our resources were fairly priced, so it was all good.

 “Makoto,” Haru called out, I looked back, arching one eyebrow, “Can we open at exactly 7 AM starting tomorrow?”

 “Why?” I continued checking the spreadsheets in my laptop.

“I read some comments from our suggestion box, most of our regulars asked if we can open earlier since they have to commute and reach the city by eight. They wanted to relax and eat their breakfast here in moderation rather than eating on the run to catch the train,” my friend narrated.

 “It’s fine by me, we’ll have to notify everyone by today,” if it’s for the customers sake, I’m okay with it.

 A notification buzzed in my e-mail, “I’ve already made a memo, kindly check it,” Haru said and he continued typing. “I’ll also add other recipes in our menu starting next week. I’ll send it thru mail later.”

 “All right,” I opened the mail and downloaded the attachment.

 “One more thing, can you take over alone next Tuesday?” he added, the typing sounds stopped.

 “Hmmm?” I plainly, still reading the entire memo.

 “Rin will come back on Monday next week in the afternoon,” everything around me froze, I didn’t hear anything after that. My mind went blurry, everything faded. If Rin will be back next week, that means one thing, “Makoto? Makoto!”

 “Uh, yes? What is it?” I was out of it.

 “Sousuke will come back too, are you going to be okay?” he quizzed, he was obviously worried about me.

 My heart thudded, it throbbed painfully. My lungs constricted, making it hard to breathe in air, “O-of course! Come on, Haru, it has been five years. I’ve moved on.” One stupid liar said and that’s me. 

He seemed to be convinced, so I tried to focus on my job. I was never okay, Haru. I had never been okay this past five years. I tried to show the usual me, the happy, smiling Makoto, to everyone. But that person was long gone, I don’t know how can I be like that again. Maybe, it will never come back. I break down every night, crying on my sheets until I fall asleep and started dreaming of him holding and caressing me, feeling his touches, kissing him ‘til sunrise. 

It was three in the afternoon when I asked Haru if I can leave the shop early. He gave me his permission and reminded me that we’ll start shifting tomorrow. I’ll be taking care of the shop from the afternoon until it closes. I waved goodbye to all other baristas and went out of the back door. I walked home, feeling tired. I’ve never felt any fatigue during work. I started to get dizzy when I heard the news. Honestly, I was truly affected by it. Part of me wanted to cry of happiness because I’ll be seeing him again. Another was melancholic since I won’t be able to touch him like before. We broke up, it wasn’t mutual. He just ended it. I entered my apartment, took off my shoes, washed my face and changed my clothes. I slumped on my bed, my mind still swirling from what I’ve heard earlier. 

It was still fresh from my memory when we first hanged out together. He was in love with Rin for the longest time, so it was a huge shock for him when Rin and Haru became official and told everyone. I was jealous of Rin too, he was taking Haru away from me, but not as lover, I never looked at Haru that way. I felt like Rin was taking away my best friend, whom I have known forever, though I was wrong. Haru never left as a friend, he was still there. As for Sousuke, it surely broke his heart, developed a minimal drinking habit from it. It was accidental that I met him at one of the pubs near our university, drinking to the point of insanity. I slapped him out of it many times until he realized, it wasn’t the answer. He promised me that it will the last time, so I accompanied him. For some reason, I’ve taken a lot of alcohol that night as well, and ended up at his place. It happened with both of us being drunk, but I can still hear him clearly whispering Rin’s name as he pounded his length roughly inside me. I didn’t care at that time.

I started to care when Rin became very busy with swim practice and I ended up being Sousuke’s companion during his therapy. It took more than a year with months of therapy and rehabilitation until his ruined shoulder was fully healed. I was happy for him that he can swim again. It was a beautiful sight to see. 

Over the months, our friendship turned to friends with benefits, in short we became fuck buddies. On his side, he wanted a distraction from his jealousy, from his so-called unrequited love for Rin. For me, it was nothing at all, I just wanted to feel someone’s zeal next to mine. It didn’t matter to me if it was Sousuke or even another strange man. However, it haunted me when I fell for him. I didn’t know how or when it started, I just fell deeply in love with him. I’ve never told him, that feeling was a dangerous territory, because I knew that he loves Rin. He then suddenly asked me, if we can be together. I agreed for my own selfish reason. We’ve both established that I’ll become his rebound from Rin. It hurt at first, but I accepted it as a consolation. 

Our nights were filled with passion since we moved in together. We were inseparable, we can have sex all day if we wanted to. But he has training and I’ve got my part-time job after school. At that time, I felt that I wasn’t seen as rebound anymore, but as a proper lover. His heated kisses on me were not pretense, I felt all of it was for me and me only. The first time he moaned my name, tears flowed because of happiness. He stopped, asking me if it was painful, I shook my head and pulled him closer, nibbling his lips, telling him to continue. And the first time he told me, “I love you,” everything around me felt light and blissful. I couldn’t ask for more. 

Our love lasted for nearly seven years. I showered him with my love every day and I received the same from him. We had our occasional fights, but we usually resolve it on the same day. Everything was perfect back then. I had a stable job in the city and he was a professional swimmer, winning tournaments here and there. I thought we’ll be together for a long time. I even thought that we’ll last forever. Dreadfully, I was proven wrong. When both Sousuke and Rin qualified for the Olympics, their agents requested them to train overseas, in the country where the event will be held. Haru was devastated by the news, Rin will leave him once more. Our redhead friend then proposed to Haru after a few weeks, saying he will come home for sure and he even said only belongs to Haru. Seeing them like that felt amazing, the happiness around them was overwhelming.

In my case, it was the opposite. Sousuke never mentioned that he qualified. I only knew when I heard from Rin, that my beloved was also going abroad to train and they will be leaving in five days. I wondered why he wouldn’t tell me. Was it because he’s going away? Was he thinking I’ll be sad? Once I reached home, I saw him sitting on our couch, reading a magazine, and I noticed his baggage outside our bedroom. 

I strolled towards the couch, sitting beside him, letting my head rest on his shoulder. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I was worried,” he answered, placing the magazine on the side table. “You might not agree.”

I chuckled and faced him, touching his cheeks with both hands, “What do you take me for? Of course, I will understand. I want you to reach your dreams. I will wait for you here and even cheer for you from the bottom of my heart.” I gave him a soft peck on his lips. “I’ll go there and watch when the event starts.”

“No need, Makoto,” he replied simply, his expression changed.

I felt a weird pang on my chest, I straightened my posture, getting hold of his hands, “W-why?”

He let go of my hands and removed the ring that we both have. My tears fell suddenly. I didn’t bother to wipe my tears. I was stiff when I saw him placing the ring on my open palms, as if he was returning it, our promise ring. “I’m sorry.”

My heart seemed to be stabbed by knives tenfold. I shook my head and tried to make Sousuke wear the ring again as my voice breaks, “Sou-Sousuke, don’t do th-this! I love you. I love you. I love you.” I repeatedly told him, as if citing a prayer.

“I did love you, Makoto. But, I just can’t erase Rin from my heart,” he told me, standing up. “I’ll leave this apartment to you.”

I pulled his jacket, embracing him from behind, “Rin’s already happy with Haru. Just accept it. And we, we are already happy! Why do you need to end this?”

Sousuke sighed, “Even if I will never have Rin look at me like how he does with Nanase, it is okay. I want to be him.”

“No, it’s not! It’s not okay,” I gripped his jacket tightly until my knuckled turned pale, “I’m not accepting that damn reason! I’m here! I’m the one who loves you the most!” I can’t believe it is happening. I don’t want to lose him like this. "We’re okay. Nothing needs to change." 

My eyes flew wide open as I hear my mobile phone ringing. I was crying in my sleep again. I dreamed of him again. My vision adjusted to the darkness and reached for my phone. I just missed a call and it was from an _“unknown number.”_


	2. Invisible Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sousuke's POV on his relationship with Makoto.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I gave up, I love writing angst, but I love these two so much, and they deserve love. I'll be moving this story forward with a lighter, brighter and happier side. I guess fluff is a given on patching up relationships. 
> 
> Also, this is unbeta'ed, BFF is at the salon being vain. XD *love you*
> 
>  
> 
> _[Finally made a fic based on 'Invisible Man' & 'Hardest Thing' by 98 Degrees♥]_

I’ve known him for a long time. Maybe it started when we were younger, like toddlers or so. We’ve played with each other. We competed on the smallest things, a popsicle, a cola, name it. He was the one pushed me into swimming. I mastered butterfly and beat him several times. He was still faster when it comes to freestyle. There was a time when we fought because of a stupid relay. I knew it meant a lot to him; I tried to apologize several times, but he never budged. I dared him to compete in swimming; he kept his silence, but accepted it afterwards.

A week after winter started, Rin told me that he was transferring to Iwatobi Elementary School in a town nearby Sano. I was shocked of course, and he was smiling and happy all over the place when he told me that he found some other kids our age that he wanted to swim with. I was jealous and I never told him. I would remain as his best friend, his best rival.

Few months later, he told me that he was going to Australia and will train there to make his dream come true. I was happy for him. Partly, I was sad since he was going to leave me again and not just in another town, but another continent, a country hours away from here.

From there on, I always receive mails from him. I was excited, he was telling me everything that he experienced there, the tourist attractions, the food and the international stadium that we both wanted to compete in the future. That stage was our dream.

Four months, the letter ceased to come. I was worried about him, I tried to contact him, but I couldn’t. I didn’t know how I could help him. I’m sure he hit a wall that he couldn’t conquer. I wanted to help him. Of course, he was the most important person to me.

Middle school went by, and I was undefeated in the butterfly category. I continuously won every tournament I joined. I was unstoppable. My motivation was him, I was swimming for him. Because we have dreamt to be on the same stage together, competing with each other.

Then, I transferred to Tokyo during High School. I was invited to attend one of the powerhouse swimming schools there. So I revved up my game. I trained intensely everyday with no break. It was brutal, but I endured it. It was all for Rin. After the nationals in the summer, I was one of the seeded top ten butterfly swimmers in the country. I was enthused about it. I wanted to tell Rin, but I still couldn’t find a way to contact him. So, I continued my training.

It was September then, when I felt something uncomfortable in my right shoulder. It wasn’t painful, so I ignored it. I continued to ignore it even after two months, but roughly before winter started, my shoulder broke down. I sought the best doctors in Tokyo and all said the same thing. It would take drastic measures, but physical therapy will just mask the pain for several months. If the pain would not subside, I may have to get steroid injections to reduce the swelling. If it got worse, the specialists told me to undergo surgery where they will remove the inflamed tissue or part of the bone that caused the inflammation.

I chose the easier and faster method, medications and therapy. If I undergo surgery, it would take several months of recovery or may last until a year. I didn’t want that. I wanted to recover fast since I would be competing with Rin soon.

At spring time, another school year passed and I heard from Gou that my beloved came back from Australia. I wanted to pack my bags and leave this place. However, I didn’t have the courage to tell him that I was incapacitated because of my negligence. I continued my therapy, my rehabilitation, all for the sake of coming back to Rin. Unfortunately, I failed. I didn’t manage in time. So, I decided to give up my dreams.

As I watch the regionals, I felt my whole world collapsed, there, Rin was in pain and I couldn’t do anything about it. I ran after him. When I was supposed to call his name, I stopped, I felt afraid. I couldn’t face him properly like this. I felt like a truckload of trash dumped over, so I stayed where I was, a helpless coward.

When the relay for the regionals started, I was bewildered. How could his so-called friends do something outrageous like this to Rin? Why on earth is he swimming with them? However, Rin stood there shining sparkly as the sky outside, he was smiling, like this relay was the one he ever wanted. Upon seeing him like that, all of my dreams came back. It’s not like I can come back perfectly, I just wanted to swim with Rin. He’s now my dream.

Then, there’s our senior year, I knew I lied to him back then, but I managed to swim with him. What I couldn’t accept was the way, he and that Nanase being closer. And right before the nationals, they went to Australia together, it’s like their honeymoon and I couldn’t accept it. Rin is mine, but I guess I couldn’t have him.

When they announced their relationship officially to everyone, they looked very happy. They complete each other. I couldn’t accept it, but it is what I am seeing at the moment. I couldn’t get hold of Rin’s heart after all.

To escape that reality, I drowned myself in alcohol. Of course, it’s literally a poison to my recovering body, but it’s the only way out of this misery. I still attend my therapy sessions, but most of the time, I ignore the schedule and just go to that dark trashy pub. And there, coincidentally, was a familiar face. He still wore that bright aura, even though it was still obvious that he was depressed. Why would someone as bright as sunshine be in a shady place like this?

It was comfortable being with him, he made everything feel lighter. Even when he looked entirely broken, he does his best to hide it, as if he doesn’t want to burden anyone at all. Another coincidence is that we attended the same university, so we got to hang around each other more often. It was on a particular night, we were both drunk and we felt the need for someone’s warmth. His body’s incredible, his skin felt so smooth on my hands, his moans were music to my ears, but what I’m seeing wasn’t Makoto, it was Rin. After that night, I felt guilty. I used him as a substitute for Rin. I knew he didn’t mind, but I’m not that much of a jerk, and not notice how he tried to hide his tears every time. I couldn’t apologize, as always, I’m a huge coward.

When Rin couldn’t accompany me for my session, Makoto did it in his stead. I’m glad he was there, all of the anxiety that welled up inside me seemed to have disappeared whenever he’s by my side. I didn’t know what I’m feeling and it’s not the same longing that I feel for Rin.

I decided to have my surgery and Makoto was there. All throughout the months of my recovery, he was there. The first post-operative month was a pain, I meant that literally. However, I managed to cope up with it because Makoto held my hand. He even sings me to sleep every time, soothing every inch of my body and soul.

It took an entire year and a half for my full recovery. I was so elated that I could finally swim again. However, I must go back to square one. I needed to be back in shape, but Makoto reminded me to do it moderately. I wouldn’t dare defy his mother goose aura, so I followed. I took everything slowly, but surely. He was there watching me, when I swam in my first tournament. We even celebrated together when I caught the fastest time in the butterfly category. His smile was everything to me now and I know I can do anything.

He was my rebound for Rin at first, but now I couldn’t even think of Rin. He’s all I wanted. On the contrary, he can’t see my effort, it was engraved in his brain that we were established fuck buddies and nothing more. If that what he sees, so be it, but I’ll have to make him feel special. I’ll let him know how much I love him through my actions even if I have to use force. And when I finally had the guts to tell him “I love you,” he shone even brighter.

I love him. I will do everything for him, but I had problems balancing things out. Since I became a professional swimmer, I won every title in every tournament, medals and trophies displayed in my room. Then, it came all crashing down when Rin and I qualified to take part in the next Olympics. I knew I should be happy. I’m finally realizing my dream with Rin. But, there’s Makoto, the training will take several years and even after the Olympics, I’ll still have to train overseas. I didn’t know how to tell him. Rin proposed to Haru several days before we leave. On the other side, I still couldn’t find the right words to tell him. I’m back to being a useless coward.

The time I left was the day I broke Makoto’s heart. I couldn’t stomach his voice cracking while asking me not to leave. It’s not that he was against the training, in fact, he was fully supportive about it. But I lied to him, I told him that I never mentioned it because I still love Rin and I’m planning to follow him at any cost. I love Rin as my best friend, but I love Makoto even more. It’s hard to look at him when his tears were streaming down from his eyes, saying he loves me continuously like a prayer.

“We’re okay. Nothing needs to change,” he cried to me.

* * *

  
“Sousuke!” My eyes flew open when I heard Rin’s voice. I yawned, I’m still quite tired since I lacked sleep from last night and the training was brutal as always. My best friend threw my phone and I caught it. I stared at the flashed image on my phone, it was my beloved, the one I hurt. It was Makoto.

“I already booked our flight for next week,” Rin told me, fumbling to type something on his phone. “Also, I already told Haru about it,” he added, “I’m pretty sure Makoto will know it. You ready?”

I didn’t answer his question, instead I dialed a foreign number. Half a minute after, no one answered the call. Of course he hated me. Why would he answer a call from his ex after five years? Rin just watched me, concerned as always. “Yeah,” I replied to his previous query, “I think I’m ready now.”

I don’t care how long will it take for Makoto to forgive me. As long as he’s with me, I’ll endure everything. Because I still love him after all these years.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the end of the my two-part introduction. XD I'll with start the main story line with a 3rd person POV. XD  
> I wonder if I can write two stories every week, anyways.  
> Thank you for wasting time to read this. XD♥
> 
> *howonearthwillicrackthingsupherethesetwoaretooserioushmmmkisumimaybeornagisaorevenmomoanywaysiwillhavetomanagewritingthisone*


	3. Missing You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta'ed as always.  
> This chapter will be the start of the main story. It'll have a 3rd person POV onwards.  
> I have a soft spot for RinHaru even though they aren't in my top OTPs.  
> Yes, you've read the tags right. [Cupid x Fairy Godmother]♥  
> I hope to lighten up this fic because I don't want Makoto to be lonely and I'll be torturing myself forever if I leave him brokenhearted.  
> Enjoy!♥

“Hey! I thought I’ve told you that we’re arriving at 4 in the afternoon? Where the hell are you?” Rin shouted at his phone, his eyebrows almost meeting.

“I know, Rin. Let it slide for now. I’m on my way, anyway.”

“You promised that you’ll be here on time! It’s 5:30 PM!”

“You sound like you’re about to cry. Stop acting like a heroine from a shoujo manga!”

“I’m not a shoujo manga character, Haru!”

“Fine, fine. I’m sorry, but I can’t just leave Makoto when the shop was flooding with customers.”

Rin scoffed, leaning on a nearby wall, “I miss you, Haru. How many minutes do I have to wait?”

“Ten minutes.”

“Fine, I’ll wait. Love you, Haru.”

“Love you.”

Rin pressed the end button and glanced at Sousuke who cocked an eyebrow at him, “You two sound disgusting.”

“It’s the truth I miss him. Besides, I have a healthy relationship with Haru unlike you,” retorted Rin.

Sousuke’s disgusted look turned differently, he sighed, “I know fucked up, Rin, so stop rubbing salt to my wound.”

The redhead looked down, he didn’t mean what he said, “I’m sorry, I’m a little bit overboard. I’m just too excited to see Haru again.”

“Good for you, Rin. Good for you,” the teal-eyed replied, staring softly at Makoto’s image in his phone.

Few minutes had passed and Rin received a call from Haru that he already at the airport waiting at the arrival gate. The redhead dashed towards the site, yelling at Sousuke to speed up. Upon seeing blue van, Rin almost jumped at Haru, enveloping the dark-haired with his embrace. Obviously, the other man envied the scene. He wanted the same welcome, Makoto showing that warm sunlit smile back at him. But, that was impossible at the moment. Looking back at the couple in front of him, he thought he saw cherry blossoms swirling around the two. He shook his head, snickering at the thought, “How shoujo…”

Haru heard the low laughter of the teal-eyed and flashed him a glare, “Ah, hello there heartbreaker.” Leaning on Rin’s shoulder while staring back at Sousuke, “I thought only Rin will come back. I didn’t know you would tag along. We only prepped a party for Rin.”

“Haru, stop it,” told Rin, apologizing to his best friend.

“I was just joking, Rin. Don’t worry I won’t throw him at the nearest cliff,” Haru answered with his usual pokerface. “Hop on, the shop will be closing at six and everyone would be there at that time.”

Haru’s statements kicked Sousuke right on his gut. Even though he said that he was only kidding, jokes were usually half meant. He wasn’t welcome at all, not when he made the group’s angel cry. After loading his baggage at the back, he tried to relax on his seat while waiting for Haru and Rin to get on. They were having a suspicious conversation in his point of view, but if it was something about being lovey-dovey, he would just ignore it.

A minute later, Haru started the engine and drove back to Iwatobi. It’ll be a half an hour drive, so Sousuke took out his ipod and tried to nap. Before he could close his eyes, he heard Haru, “Is it okay if we stop by a drugstore first, Rin? Makoto texted me that he’s having a headache at the moment.”

Rin nodded and Haru stopped at the store a few blocks after. Sousuke jumped off the car first, “I’ll buy him pain meds, just stay there, Nanase.”

Haru frowned. Rin giggled.

“So, what do you think?” Rin inquired, interlacing his fingers with Haru’s.

“I don’t agree with it. What you’re planning may backfire and if it ends up hurting Makoto again, I’ll hate you and Yamazaki forever,” returned Haru, threatening Rin with his sapphire blue eyes.

The redhead reached for Haru’s and pulled him for a quick peck, “I know, but trust me on this. I want my friends to be happy. Plus, I don’t mind playing Cupid on this alone if you don’t want to.”

“Like I would leave Makoto to you,” replied the other.

Rin flashed his shark-like teeth, “And I thought all this time that Makoto was the mother hen.” Haru smacked his head, “Sorry! Well, if what you’ve told me that Makoto never smiled genuinely since then, the perfect solution is that guy inside the store.”

Haru scoffed, “I perfectly know that, but we can’t just hand over like ‘Makoto, here’s Yamazaki. Love him all you want and smile again!’ We’re not fairy godmothers of a freakin’ fairy tale.”

Rin chortled at the thought. “I am Cupid and you’re a fairy godmother. We’re perfect for each other,” earning another smack on his head.

“I’m being serious. I just want Makoto to be back,” he bawled at Rin, stopping midway, “wait a moment. Did you book a hotel for tonight?”

Rin shook his head, “I plan on staying at your place for a few months if you wouldn’t mind.”

“And Yamazaki?” asked Haru, realizing the meaning behind Rin’s words.

“Sousuke doesn’t like staying at his house and yes, he doesn’t have any place for the night,” Rin grinned back at Haru’s almost mortified face. “Hey! I’m not as evil you think, stop looking at like that!”

It took ten more minutes for Sousuke to get back. “Sorry, the store was quite crowded,” Sousuke said as he got on the backseat.

“Let’s go,” Haru suggested.

They arrived at the café a little later than planned because of the heavy traffic in the highway. Haru parked near the front entrance of the café which was already locked, showing the “closed” sign at the doorway. The sapphire-eyed lead the way to the back door. When they entered, a bubbly blonde man jumped forward to the redhead, “Welcome back Rin-chan! You too, Sou-chan!”

“You haven’t changed a bit Nagisa, ” commented Rin, ruffling Nagisa’s hair.

All of the others welcomed them as they entered the café. Sousuke smiled and greeted everyone, but he couldn’t find the person he was looking for.

“Makoto’s at the office,” told Haru, pointing at the hallway on the right.

Sousuke thanked Haru, although he knew the other didn’t really agree. He walked thru the corridor and stopped at a door, his heart pounding like it would burst out of his chest. He inhaled a deep breath and did his best to stay calm. He was not sure if he was ready to see Makoto right now, but he had to. Knocking on the door and hearing no one answer, he turned the knob slowly and peeked inside. He just saw a table near the door and entered. He searched for Makoto and noticed him sleeping on the desk. Without thinking, Sousuke sauntered to the sleeping man, he napped on his right hand while the left one rested on his lap. His face was angelic as always. Sousuke knelt down, caressing the other’s cheek, almost closing in for a kiss. However, the brunette blinked, making the older man jump on his feet, keeping his distance from Makoto immediately.

“Haru?” he said, squinting and yawning, “Where’s my Ibuprofen? My head’s killing me.”

Sousuke handed a tablet and bottle water to Makoto. The other drank the medication, rubbing his eyes to get a clear view of the person in front of him. When Makoto saw Sousuke, he massaged his temples, “Sorry Haru, I think my headache’s terrible this time. I’m seeing Sousuke instead of you.”

“Uhm, Nanase’s outside with everyone,” replied the teal-eyed. He swallowed a lump in his throat, and said, “I’m back, Makoto.”

The brunette tensed upon hearing the other’s deep voice. He glanced up and those beautiful teal eyes were looking back at him. Makoto remembered that Sousuke would be coming back as well. But he never thought that he would be seeing him this close. He never thought that he would be talking to him sooner. He forced his lips to smile and tried his best not to lunge at the other man, “Welcome back, Sousuke.”

The teal-eyed felt the pretense on that smile. He couldn’t expect a warm welcome Makoto after all. “Well, I guess they’ll be starting a little bit later. Take a rest for a while here, I’ll just come and get you before we start,” he suggested with a smile.

Makoto’s heart just skipped a beat. It’ll be all right if he was just a high school boy, falling in love. But no, he was a thirty-three year old adult and the one who just made his chest tight was his ex. There’s definitely something wrong with him now.

Fifteen minutes later, Sousuke was about to return to the office when Makoto emerged from the hallway, smiling awkwardly at him. He greeted Rin like always. His best friend even hugged him tightly, making him grimace at the scene. He heard Haru clearing his throat while looking offensively at Sousuke. The teal-eyed ignored it.

The celebration started. After eating some meals prepared by Haru, Rei with the help of Gou and the Mikoshiba brothers, the two Olympians were asked about their training and the tournament itself. The two were asked to show them their medals since managed to snatch a silver and a bronze in their respective categories. Nagisa was jealous, because Haru managed to watch the Olympics with Gou. He and Rei were so busy with their jobs and their request for a leave wasn’t granted.

Makoto was silent most of the time as noticed by Sousuke. He did some casual laughter with occasional smiles whenever needed. That look made his chest constrict. Makoto’s expressions were not the same like before, it was too contrived.

It was already past eleven when it ended, some people including Rin were drunk. Haru asked Sousuke to help him carry Rin to the car, telling him that the redhead would be staying with him tonight. Therefore, Sousuke unloaded his baggage from the car.

“Where are you staying tonight, Yamazaki?” asked the sapphire-eyed.

“I forgot to ask Rin if he booked a hotel nearby,” answered Sousuke, mentally bulldozing himself several times for forgetting.

“Rin told me that he didn’t book any,” uttered Haru. “Do you want me to drive back to your house or something?”

“Nanase, it sounds so creepy that you’re being nice to me,” remarked Sousuke. “Don’t worry, I’ll manage.”

“I don’t think you can find any vacancy at this time,” told Haru. Seeing Makoto looking for him, Haru suggested, “Why don’t you stay at Makoto’s place then? It’s a five-minute walk from here.”

The two glanced at each other awkwardly and avoided each other’s gazes a moment after. Haru smirked, wishing that Rin could see this one happening.

“Makoto, I’ll inform the everyone that we’ll be close tomorrow. So just lock up the shop and rest at home,” he told his best friend, walking to the driver’s seat.

“W-wait, Haru? What the -”

“Good night, Makoto. You too, Yamazaki,” muttered Haru, smirking as he slid inside the car and drove away.

The atmosphere was deafening. Sousuke offered to help Makoto lock everything in the café. After a few minutes, they were walking back to Makoto’s apartment, previously their apartment. There weren’t any words exchanged until they reached the door. Makoto reached for a card and tapped it on a plate near below the knob.

“They changed the locking system?” asked Sousuke, hoping to hear Makoto’s voice rather than this weird air around them.

“Yeah, they changed it a few days ago when a unit on the fifth floor was almost robbed last week,” answered the brunette.

“Figures,” he replied plainly. He wanted to chat with him more, but everything seemed to be not right. He had the urge to pull Makoto on his and just kiss him senseless, but the brunette seemed to be guarded all the time.

“So, where do you want to stay, the main room or the guest room,” inquired Makoto, getting a glass of water. “You want some?”

“No thanks. This is your place, I’ll get the guest room,” answered Sousuke, looking around, noticing that nothing changed in the unit since he left.

“I’m just a caretaker of this apartment. This is not my place at all,” said the brunette.

Sousuke’s look was confused, “I believe I left this place to you.”

“The title deed says ‘Yamazaki Sousuke’ and not ‘Tachibana Makoto.’ Meaning, this entire apartment is still yours,” retorted the brunette, placing the used glass on the sink. “I’m tired, so I retire for today. Good night, Sousuke,” told Makoto, sauntering towards his room.

Sousuke watched Makoto’s disappearing figure behind the door. As it closed, Sousuke approached the door and leaned his forehead on the door, whispering, “I miss you so fuckin’ much, Makoto.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!♥  
> Slap me when I get angsty~♥♥


	4. Paralyzer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta'ed as always.  
> "Paralyzer" by Finger Eleven got stuck in my head.  
> This chapter happened because I am SouMako Smut-deprived.
> 
> Enjoy!♥

“Sousuke…” Makoto mewled as the teal-eyed caressed his smooth skin, tracing ever corner of his toned muscles until those fingers rested on his hip. Lying on his back, he watched an erotic sight before him. The lovely brunette was breathlessly singing his name, grinding his own rock hard erection to the other.

Makoto reached for his cock, his grazing nails sent electricity down Sousuke’s spine. His angel licked his lower lip teasingly and Sousuke attempted sitting up to catch and taste his tongue, but the brunette’s other hand pushed his hand heavily on his chest, pinning him back to bed. The grip on his erection was a little different now. Makoto reached lower and flicked his tongue on his sac while his thumb pressed firmly on his cockhead. He was pretty sure he would come when Makoto’s mouth engulf his cock, bobbing his head in a crazy rhythm.

“You taste really nice, Sousuke. I love it,” the brunette commented, his tongue still swirling on his leaking head. Sousuke had no choice, but to grunt and twitch as the brunette sucked harder at the tip, pushing his tongue on his slit.

The teal-eyed watched him with heavy-lidded eyes. He wanted to close them and just feel his warm cavern enveloping him, but seeing the visuals weren’t bad either. To be honest, it too damn good to miss. Brushing his fingers on the silken brown hair, he thrust up and fucked his sinful mouth. It felt too perfect and he hadn’t touch Makoto in years.

Makoto let go of his cock with a plop, hovering over Sousuke to catch his lips. No one kissed like Makoto. The brunette’s mouth explored his own and the other wasn’t backing off until Sousuke melts, his eyes blurring by the sight of hungry emerald eyes. Sousuke felt his lips trail down, settling on his chest, biting and marking him as if he only belonged to Makoto. To be honest, he “only” belongs to Makoto.

Sousuke fondled that sweet-looking ass while the other was taking his sweet time nipping his skin. He was awarded with a whimper and it made the teal-eyed man smirk. Squeezing his flesh harder, Makoto bucked his groin onto Sousuke’s, rolling his hips again. Sousuke could only thrust back to meet him, keeping their dicks sliding with each other with right amount of pressure.

Sousuke hand reached for his drawer, getting a bottle of lube while the brunette was too busy suckling his nipples, making it hard for the teal-eyed to just open the fucking drawer. He quickly slicked his dick with lube and rubbing ‘til it’s good to go. However, the brunette was taking his goddamn time preparing himself. It was definitely driving Sousuke crazy and that would be his undoing.

After what seemed like ages, Sousuke thought he was going limp, but as always Makoto’s voice in tune with his fingerfucking activity was a sight to see. Instead, it made him hornier and harder than ever. Sousuke had to swallow really hard when he felt Makoto’s entrance slowly deluging the tip of his throbbing cock. Sousuke’s head exploded when Makoto moved all the way down, gyrating his hips unceremoniously.

“Makoto…more…,” he begged, the brunette rode him harder, “Makoto, Fuck! Just like that...yes...” Sousuke gasped harshly when he felt the other’s insides tightened, squeezing his erection with declining pace. He couldn’t help his own hips jerking upward as he panted.

“You like it that much, love?” Makoto quizzed, his lips smirking with victory.

Sousuke wasn’t given any time to reply as Makoto moved, rocking his hips forward with increased speed. The teal-eyed moaned at the feeling of the frisking flesh, desire burning within him. Cinching his hand on the younger one’s hips, he couldn’t take the pace any further, it was agonizing. Sousuke tried going faster, but Makoto ‘s right pressed hard on his hips.

The brunette pistoned down and rode Sousuke’s cock in his ass, hitting a bundle of nerves. “Ungff, Sou... oh fuck,” whined Makoto, arching his back as he felt his lover’s cock brushed his sweet spot over and over.

Sousuke could feel his gut coil with the heightened sensation. Without his angel’s hand pinning him, pushed his length harder, deeper, heat surging out from him. He felt the brunette’s ass tightened again and he slammed his cock inside him, deeper and faster. He felt his own hot fluid cream the insides of his angel.

The other kept on moving, still pounding his ass with his cock, and he heard cries of ecstasy from Makoto getting louder. “Sou...nggggff...ha...su...ke...,” it was too much to bear for the brunette, his body quivered, fingers delving and leaving marks on Sousuke’s thigh as his own come squirts onto Sosusuke’s abdomen.

Makoto slumped on top of Sousuke’s chest. The teal-eyed stroked his hair, planting peppery kisses on it. He squirmed and planned to take out his limp dick when the brunette whispered, “Stay... for a while.”

The teal-eyed nodded and closed his eyes.

* * *

 

Sousuke’s eyes lazily opened, blinking few times before focusing his gaze towards the ceiling. His was still trying to catch his breath. He had another wet dream. For a middle-aged adult, it was silly in all seriousness. But, that was definitely one of his many versions of fucking Makoto. He was like a horny teenage boy watching and jacking off to porn. And it is not a funny issue at all.

It had been a month, a whole fucking month under the same roof, but he hadn’t got any chance to talk properly. He did decide once that he would be looking for his own place after he finally had a proper conversation with the brunette. But, weeks went by and nothing happened. Their interaction was too limited for one word. He’s either too early for his morning shift or he’s too late for the closing shift. At least, it was evident that he didn’t hate him as much as he expected since he always prepared meals for him with a reminder to heat it before eating. He tried to wake up earlier than usual for his morning run, at least to catch him cooking or something. However, on that particular day, Makoto slept in and didn’t make any breakfast. Sousuke was suspicious about it. Makoto was avoiding any contact with him.

His oxygen intake finally stabilizes and felt the painful constriction in his boxers. He was surely sexually frustrated. He bounced off his bed, wincing at the pain his feeling in between his thighs. He hastily removed his clothes and throwing them on the hamper near the closet. Sousuke peeked out of his room and ran butt naked to the shower with a tower slinging on his shoulders.

Stepping inside and turning the knobs, warm water sprayed on him, trickling on down his edges. His erection was leaking and badly needed attention. He raised his face up and let the water wash all over him. He took long, slow intakes of breath. He still aches for Makoto. His imagination wandered on touching his smooth and inviting skin. He gravely needed his warmth, his legs wrapped around him, his lips in tune with his. Sousuke groaned, feeling his cock harden even more. It was uncomfortable, but his mind still wondered on all sinful things related to his angel. Every damn thing was him, those lustful emerald eyes, his lavish lips and his carnal back.

His rough voice breathlessly moaning Sousuke’s name, the teal-eyed continued stroking his cock until he was panting, leaning his forehead on one arm. He squeezed the base, his body tensing as he pulled up his touch slowly towards the tip and gently palmed the head. He moved his hand down, sliding along his shaft and tightly putting pressure and it grazed up. Holding a grunt, he fucked his on hand mewling his angel’s name, “Makoto…” His hand pumped faster, squeezing the head, watching as a drop his cum spilled. His other had played with his balls while the other continuously entertains his length.

Sousuke felt something pooling in his stomach. His orgasm was coming close. Too close that his knees went weak, and he leaned on the wall for support, ignoring the warm water drizzling on his body. “Mako..ngh..nnff,” his head swimming in a blurry state of high. Dropping his head forward, Sousuke’s chest heaved irregularly, hot translucent fluid spilled out from his dick. It left his knees wobbly, making his body totally spent.

“Ah, fuck, damn it!” he cursed, reaching for a bottle of body wash with closed eyes. As he squeezed the bottle, the creamy liquid smelled different, it was citrus and far from his peppermint wash. It smelled like Makoto. The scent made his lower regions awaken and he turned the cold water knob and washed all additional dirty thoughts down the drain. He reached for his own body wash and cleansed himself, slightly failing in the matter of sex with Makoto in the shower.

Few minutes of his most agonizing shower in his whole life, he finally made it out of the bathroom, a towel loosely wrapped on his hips. He strolled his way towards the bedroom, but stopped midway when he smelled some freshly-cooked pancakes from the kitchen. He went to a corner and saw Makoto preparing breakfast not for one, but for two people.

Sousuke leaned his back on a wall with crossed arms, “Good morning, Angel.”

On the other hand, the brunette tensed, doing his best not to look at the man leaning on the wall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!♥


	5. Don't Speak

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is unbeta'ed.  
> Enjoy!♥

Makoto is disturbed. He was definitely aware of his presence. Less than half an hour ago, he headed out of his room for a quick shower. However, he stopped by the door as he heard someone. And that someone moaned his name using a luscious deep tone that awakened Makoto’s senses better than a cup of coffee. There’s only one person who lives with him now and that’s the culprit. He didn’t intend to linger any longer as he heard dirty squeaky sounds instead of normal shower sounds. It was audible. He was doing this on purpose.

He went immediately straight to kitchen and just cooked whatever he got from the pantry. He shouldn’t be elated that his ex was jacking off to him, he should be offended by it. But no, his head swirled and floated for a moment without realizing that he cracked an egg the wrong way and most of the shells were on the batter, “Ack! Stupid!”

Minutes after, his mind still wandered back to Sousuke as he flipped some pancakes on a plate. He heard the bathroom and was conscious that the other walked in the kitchen, giving him suggestive looks. “Good morning, Angel,” he greeted in the most provocative way.

Makoto was petrified. That voice used to say his name a lot during such intimate activities. That intonation meant something and Makoto was not going to fall for that ever again. He took two plates of pancakes and placed them on the table. The feigned a smile towards Sousuke, “Morning. Aren’t you cold?”

Sousuke walked closer to the table, droplets of water outlines his gorgeous features, “Not really. I’m pretty sure I feel hot.”

Makoto’s feigned smile turned into a frown, “Is that so? Do you want me to turn off the heating system? Or you’ll get yourself dressed?” Makoto effortlessly walked towards the switch and turned off the heater.

_~click~_

“Oi, I w-was just jo-” Sousuke stuttered. Sousuke felt the drop in temperature gradually.

The brunette smirked, “It’s not that cold yet, anyway.”

The teal-eyed man rolled his eyes and admitted his loss. Though, he succeeded in getting the angel’s attention and did a victory dance in his head. He went back to his room and got a plain black top and a pair of khakis. As he sauntered to the dining table, he saw Makoto already started breakfast on his own, “You didn’t even wait for me?”

The brunette stared back at him, “Am I supposed to wait for you?”

Makoto’s tone was sarcastic and Sousuke didn’t like it, “Not really, but you should have at least waited for me today. Isn’t that a common courtesy?”

Makoto stopped slicing his pancake, “Yeah, maybe I should have. I should have waited for the owner of the house. Oops, my bad!”

Sousuke decided not to say anything because every time that he’ll talk, Makoto would just shut him up. It’ll just end up badly for both of them. But, he really wants to talk to Makoto now. He had been avoiding Sousuke for a month now and it was driving him crazy. He sat across Makoto and ate his pancakes silently. They won’t be having any training today, and Sousuke was clueless on how he’ll spend the day. If things were the same he’ll just ask Makoto out and they can just watch a movie or something like what they used to before.

That was before.

The teal-eyed was lost in thought that he didn’t realize that Makoto had already finished and left the table to put away his dish. “I have the opening shift. Do you mind taking care of the dishes?” asked Makoto, wearing his coat and slinging his bag on his shoulders.

“Ah, Makoto, wait! We need to-”

“Sorry, I’ve got to go,” told the brunette and closed the door.

Sousuke just planted his ass on the chair and continued eating, contemplating his activities for today. He thought of running and doing some laps at the local gym pool, but that wouldn’t be fun for his precious day off. Then, he’ll have to think of something for lunch. He always ate outside, anyways. He can just grab some burger or something, but an interesting thought came to his mind, “Precious…” and he grinned at his seemingly bright idea.

* * *

  
Makoto breathed a very deep sigh. It is lunch time and people aren’t coming. They just added new sandwiches a couple of weeks ago to increase their sales. It’s not that they’re not profiting, but Makoto thought that it can be something new. On the day that they implemented the new variety of sandwiches, it was a hit especially for students attending the local university. Haru did a great job in creating a wide variety of meat sandwiches, though the Mackerel sandwich with pineapple was a little unpopular.

He approached Ryo at the counter, “Go grab something to eat and rest for a while, I’ll take it from here.”

“How about you, boss? Have you eaten?” quizzed said Ryo.

“I’m not yet hungry. I’ll eat later,” answered the brunette.

“Okay, I’ll be back in a jiffy! Thanks,” he dashed at the backroom.

Few minutes had passed, a woman in her late twenties entered the café and entered brewed tea and a slice of Deep Dark Chocolate Paradise. Makoto thought it was too early for that type of snack, but no one can say no to their best-selling cake. He strolled towards the table with a tray on one hand and handed the beverage and cake to the customer, adding his signature customer-friendly smile. The woman had an obvious blush on her cheeks and the brunette went back to the counter. At least his smile still works.

The brunette watched all the customers. Some were students, some were corporate employees and others were just alone and just chilling out. He didn’t notice it a while ago, and it wasn’t entirely empty. No one’s coming ‘cause they’re full, he concluded. Then, he noticed a commotion just outside his shop. He stared at the window and he saw a man with dark-hair looking inside the shop. Some people were behind him taking pictures and the girls were giggling.

“Tsk, what the hell is he doing here?” Makoto wondered in annoyance. He pushed his hair back while smiling. It looked like he used the window as a mirror. “Narcissistic moron,” he commented.

Of course, he hadn’t thought of it before. Sousuke and Rin were Olympians and they managed to grab medals. That’s a huge honor for the country. That alone would definitely make them famous and it’s not just here, but the entirety of Japan. The brunette remembered seeing them on TV for an interview, but he didn’t bother watching it thoroughly, he just stared at Sousuke features and focused on his voice. He longed for him at that time.

At that time …

The said dark-haired man entered the café and garnered attention from most of the patrons inside. Some were wide-eyed, some jaws dropped and some blushed. Makoto’s category would definitely fall to those who blushed. Aside from his dark, mysterious and haughty aura, he smiled lightly towards the customers, even winked at some and walked smoothly, taking precise steps to the counter where Makoto is. Placing his elbow on the counter and resting his chin on his palm, he smirked at the barista.

“What are you doing here?” alleged Makoto in haste, pressing his lips together in a thin line.

“Free day and I’m hungry, thought I might drop by and grab something to eat,” replied Sousuke, amused by the brunette. Leaning closer to Makoto, the teal-eyed man whispered, “Play nice, Makoto. Your customers know me.”

Makoto guessed that he’ll have another headache later as he massage his temples in frustration. He let his shoulders drop and just plastered his customer-friendly smile on his face, “So, what are you having, dear customer?”

“You,” answered the teal-eyed man with tease.

Makoto’s expression turned dark, pressing his lips together into a thin line, “I’m playing nice, Sousuke. You do the same.”

“But I want to play more,” whined Sousuke, leaning closer to the barista.

The brunette rolled his eyes, “Are you ordering or not?”

Feeling his stomach growl, Sousuke stood straight and replied, “I’m ordering. One question, are all sandwiches here made by Nanase?”

“Most are by Haru, but I contributed some too,” replied the brunette.

“Tell me yours,” urged the other.

Makoto thought that it was a good thing there weren’t new customers or else, they would have to wait in line. His mind wondered about adding another counter just in case this would happen again. And that means, he would have to hire another employee and that wasn’t a bad idea since their customers were flooding every late afternoon until closing.

“Makoto?” uttered the teal-eyed, snapping fingers to bring back the brunette.

The abrupt sound woke the brunette’s mind, “My apologies, uhm. Well, I made the Chix and Chiz sandwich and the Katsu Katsu one.”

Makoto unconsciously remembered his favorite. Sousuke beamed at the thought, “I’ll get a Katsu Katsu sandwich then.”

“Drinks?” inquired the brunette.

“Cold Lemon Tea,” added the teal-eyed man, “It is brewed tea, right?”

Makoto nodded and repeated the order, totaling the amount. Sousuke paid in cash and didn’t bother to get the change. He searched the area for any vacant seat, but only found one. It wasn’t situated at the farthest end like what he wanted, but when he sat there, he had a perfect view of Makoto standing in the counter. He noticed that a petite college-looking girl with raven hair prepared his sandwich rather than the brunette.

He frowned at the sight, although it disappeared once Makoto waited his table, “One Katsu Katsu sandwich and one cold lemon tea. Did I miss anything?”

He shook his head. “Perfect,” responded Sousuke, tugging the hem of Makoto’s green-striped apron as the brunette tried to leave. “Why don’t you accompany me, Makoto?”

“I- I still ha-have -”

“Boss, you can take a break now! I’ll take over the counter!” waved the semi-shaved boy, bursting out with full energy from the back room. He flushed when some consumers guffawed at his enthusiasm.

Makoto didn’t dare to look at Sousuke’s face as he knew that fucking smirk would be distinct. “Please,” the brunette heard from the teal-eyed man and he just gave up. He sat on a chair and signaled at Ryo to come over.

“What is it, boss?” quizzed the energetic boy.

“I’ll get a macchiato,” requested the brunette.

“Huh? Just a macchiato for lunch? No way, boss! You need to eat more! How about I make another Katsu Katsu sandwich for you like what your friend is having?” He smiled and turned to Sousuke, his eyed turned from playful to utterly surprised, “Whoa! Ya-ya-ya-yamazaki Sousuke!? What?!” He looked back at his manager and returned to Sousuke, “Why is he here? Boss, you didn’t tell me that you’re acquainted to him. Don’t tell me Boss Haru knew him too.”

“I knew him from high school and his best friend was a very close friend of ours too,” reacted Makoto immediately, slightly embarrassed by the Ryo’s loud voice.

“Best friend? Matsuoka Rin, too? The silver medalist? Oh gosh, this is awesome!” He made a triumphant pose and kneeled before Makoto. “I would never leave you and Boss Haru! And Yamazaki-san,” he went to Sousuke, “I’m a big fan of yours, an autograph is good enough.”

Sousuke patted Ryo’s shoulder, “I don’t mind at all, but,” he leaned closer to Ryo and whispered, “I do need a favor concerning your boss. I’m courting him again. If you help me, I’ll get Rin’s signature too.”

Ryo shot straight up, light pink tinge obvious on his cheeks, “Anything for you Yamazaki-san!”

Sousuke snickered at the guy, “Good to know!”

“I’ll prepare your sandwich and drink, Boss,” told Ryo, rushing back to the service area while Ayaka took over the counter.

“I like that guy,” remarked the teal-eyed man, he stared at Makoto and noticed an arched eyebrow and crossed arms, “What did I do now?”

“I suggest you never come back here after this,” muttered the brunette.

Sousuke felt a pang from those words. He would let Makoto say whatever he wanted, but he never back down on this one, “Why on earth are you kicking me out of this establishment?”

“You’re attracting too much attention and I don’t like it. This is embarrassing. What more could happen if Rin’s here? You two were not even discreet,” retorted Makoto, slumping on the chair. “It’ll be tiresome to handle people gawking at you guys.”

“Do you despise me that much or,” questioned the teal-eyed, tilting his head, “you’re just being too possessive and want me all to yourself? Let me believe the latter.”

“Are you insane? I’m being serious here. You guys are renowned already and you act like it’s nothing,” countered the brunette.

“It is nothing. I believe this is also my hometown. Am I not allowed being here anymore?” queried Sousuke, a vein almost popped out of his neck. “I felt like shit leaving this place and I even -”

A loud thud slammed on the table as Makoto rose from his seat, “Stop! We are not having this conversation today.” He departed the table with speed, almost bumping to Ryo who brought his meal on a tray. He didn’t care if he would lose some clients because of this commotion. He is not ready for this talk. He will not face it today.

The guy looked at Sousuke and approached, “What happened?”

“Your boss is not letting me catch him,” he answered, looking at his untouched food. “Please pack this for me and bring that one to Makoto. I will leave in a while.”

Ryo took his sandwiches and left the lemon tea for him to drink together with Makoto’s sandwich.

Sousuke sipped his drink and smiled at some of the girls who stopped chatting because of what happened a while. The girls awkwardly smiled back and continued their private conversations.

“Tsk, seriously if I were you, I would have rushed at the office and kiss Makoto senseless. Watching you guys is such a pain in the ass,” barked by the redhead who arrived at the café just in time to witness everything, “Right, Haru?”

The raven-haired nodded, his smug expression and bored look annoyed Sousuke, “Fine, Rin,” he started,” I’m in this one just because our best friends are being idiots.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!♥  
> Of course, I still haven't forgotten Rin and Haru. ♥


	6. Barely Breathing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, this is unbeta'ed.  
> Do enjoy yourselves. XD

“Boss, I brought your lunch!” Ryo announced happily as he entered the office, sauntering towards Makoto’s table. There was no reply from the olive-haired and the barista noticed that his boss was too focused on typing. This made Ryo a little worried since his boss was usually like this whenever there was a problem. He didn’t want to pry, but he concluded that it was because of the dark-haired athlete outside. He heaved a sigh and cleared his throat, “Ahem.”

“Ah,” reacted the brunette and feigned a smile, “just put it there,” he pointed at a square table at the corner of the room. “Thank you.”

“Be sure to eat boss or you’ll faint,” Ryo beamed brightly.

“Don’t worry, I will. I’ll just have to finish your payroll. You would want to get paid this week, right?” replied Makoto.

“Of course! Who wouldn’t accept their hard-earned cash?” told the barista and he went out of the room.

Makoto stopped typing. He was just reviewing everything since he already finished this document yesterday. He just needed some distraction away from Sousuke and this file was the first one he clicked. He looked up in the ceiling, considering on what to do next. In a few hours, he would have to go home and he’ll meet him there. Sousuke would probably pressure the same topic that he was avoiding since he came. There’s only one solution to evade such situation. He should leave the apartment.

He opened a new browsing window and searched for a couple of units near the café. He wouldn’t to travel for an hour just for work, so a simple one-bedroom apartment should be enough for someone like him. He chose a few places and bookmarked the pages so he can contact the respective landlords later.

His stomach finally gave in and he stood from his seat and grabbed the sandwich. His mind still floated back to Sousuke. Grabbing the plastic cup, he drank his macchiato until someone yelled, “Makoto!”

The brunette spat out the coffee as he almost choked from it. He flashed a deathly glare at the intruder and the other froze from his place. “What the hell are you doing here?” he growled, wanting to high-kick the guy on his gut.

“S-Sorry, I was just -”

“Sorry? Yeah, yeah, as if I would forgive you with a simple apology,” remarked Makoto, not realizing that he dropped a bomb at the teal-eyed man.

Sousuke breathed deeply, trying his best to stay calm or something would happen and he knew that it would not end very well, “I know. I’m just going to-”

“Get out. I’m not in the mood for your silly games,” told the brunette, massaging his temples, “I think I’m going to have a headache soon.”

“LET ME TALK! DAMN IT!” bawled the older man, his patience finally snapping.

It was Makoto’s turn to be frozen as he blinked at the angry Sousuke. His lips were flinching as he wanted to laugh, but decided not to do so. “Okay, I’ll try to listen. You better not waste my time,” demanded the brunette, leaning on the edge of his desk.

Sousuke approached the brunette. When he entered Makoto’s private space, Makoto ordered, “Stop right there!” But that didn’t make the taller man withdraw, instead he stepped in further.

Makoto crossed his arms, his eyebrows almost meeting, “I said stop-”

The brunette couldn’t continue what he was trying to say as he felt another lips press harshly on his. The obtrusive lips were forcing his way in and he wanted to melt until his mind snapped back to reality and pushed Sousuke away, slapping him afterwards. “Out! If you have nothing else to say, then get the hell out!” roared the brunette, pointing his hand towards the exit.

“Tsk, Ouch! I can’t help it anymore. I just miss you so much,” stated the slapped guy.

Missed him? Sousuke missed him? If he really did, then why would he leave in the first place? Ah yes, it’s because he qualified for the Olympics. That’s a good excuse. So why didn’t he contact him in the past years? Why didn’t he write any a single letter when he won a medal? Why didn’t even tell him that he was coming back after all these years?

Makoto looked down, shaking his head. He had so many questions, but he was afraid to hear the answers. Makoto moved on. Makoto never missed him. Makoto never dreamed about him. Makoto never whispered his name in his sleep. Makoto never admitted the truth.

Sousuke broke the silence, “I’m going, Sorry, I wasted your time.” He ambled towards the door and as he opened it he declared, “Before I forget, I’ll make sure you’ll fall madly in love with me again. I’ll my pry your heart open in the next few months. Just you wait!” He closed the door and left the olive-hair.

Makoto blinked several times before he absorbed what the teal-eyed just said. “What was that?”

* * *

“So? Did you say what you wanted?” quizzed Rin, grinning upon his best friend’s return.

“I did,” replied the other, sitting down across the two.

“And did you kiss him like what I’ve told you?” added the redhead.

Sousuke nodded earning a loud laughter from the two, “What?”

“I told you, he would do it!” Rin snickered.

Haru sighed, “I guess Makoto pushed you away and slapped you?”

Sousuke didn’t respond. His silence definitely confirmed the answer.

Haru looked at the clock and stood up, “It’s almost time for my shift, so I’ll go prepare now. I’ll see you later, Rin. After whatever you’re planning with lonely boy here, head straight home.”

“Yes, mommy!” Rin replied and Haru showed him a murderous stare. “Just kidding! Love you!”

The raven-haired left the table and disappeared to the back door.

“You two are really disgusting,” commented Sousuke.

“You have no idea how disgusting you and Makoto were years ago,” retorted the redhead. “You were like surrounded with all the cherry blossom petals in Japan with very sweet and icky background music.”

“We weren’t like that!” said Sousuke defensively.

“Oh, ask the others, they would probably have the same description. Trust me,” told Rin, sneering with his shark-like set of teeth. “We better go or else Haru will let me sleep on the sofa tonight if I’m late.”

“I never knew Nanase was possessive,” uttered Sousuke, following Rin as the other rose up from his sit.

“I like Haru dominating me,” verbalized the redhead.

Sousuke cringed, “You’re such a closet masochist.”

“No, I’m not!” countered Rin.

“Believe me, Rin. You are,” spoke teal-eyed.

* * *

  
Like what happened this morning, Makoto was distracted. He brain was fried on a ceramic pan. He huffed. “What did just Sousuke say a while ago? That I will fall for him again?” The olive-haired guy laughed at the thought. There’s no way that he will let this guy get to him again.

“Makoto, I’ll take over from here. Take a rest or something,” Haru said upon entering the office, placing his coat at a stand.

“My shift will be over in two hours and I think I’ll have some overtime today,” replied Makoto.

“Have you seen yourself lately? There’s something wrong and you have to tell me,” remarked Haru, sitting and waiting for his computer to load.

“Nothing’s wrong,” answered the brunette.

“Bullshit,” retorted the raven-haired.

“Haru, you sound like Rin!” mentioned Makoto, snickering on the thought.

Haru rolled his eyes, he guessed some of Rin’s behaviors rubbed on him already. However, that wasn’t the point, “You are evading the topic, Makoto. Did something happen between you and Sousuke when he came in?”

“You knew?” asked the brunette.

“Yeah, so what?” stated the raven-haired. “Would you like me to guess what happened?” Haru quizzed, typing a little message on his phone.

“No, please Haru. I don’t really want to talk about him right now,” uttered Makoto. “Hey, can I stay over at your place to-”

“If you want to watch homemade porn, then be my guest,” indicated Haru, smirking at the way Makoto blushed like a teenager. “Come on, Makoto, we’re old enough for this.”

“Yes, I know. And I don’t think I wouldn’t be able to sleep in your house anyway,” the brunette responded, burying his face on his hands.

“Face him, Makoto. Stop running away from him. If you want to end it, then say it to his face and don’t give him hope,” advised Haru. “You haven’t smiled genuinely for five years,” Makoto tried to retort, but Haru continued, “I always notice. I would be the worst best friend if I never did. All I can say is that, he is a double-edged sword. He can make or break you, choose the side where you’ll be happy.”

Makoto doesn’t answer after his best friend’s speech. He doesn’t want to admit his longing for the teal-eyed man. He just wanted this year to finish. He wanted Sousuke to leave him at once. “I can’t help but lie to myself,” he thought. “I don’t know how to face him and I might crumble down when I do.”

“I can only permit additional two hours of overtime, so don’t overdo it,” told the raven-haired, his focus was still on his phone. “After that, you go straight home.”

“You sound like a nagging mommy,” commented the brunette.

“Shut up,” said back the raven-haired.

Four hours had passed and Makoto was getting ready to leave. He wasn’t excited to get home because he’ll have to interact with Sousuke one way or another, but he was looking forward to his bed. He took his coat from the stand and waved goodbye to his friend. Before he opened the door, he reminded Haru that they would need additional part-timers because Ryo wouldn’t be able to handle an extended shift since the other one has classes. Haru acknowledged the reminder and he would post some ads online.

* * *

Makoto stood in front of his apartment, giving out a defeated sigh as he opened the door. He was struck by the smell emanating from the unit. He knew this smell very well. He hurriedly walked to the kitchen and saw Sousuke wearing his apron and plating green curry on a dish.

The teal-eyed man saw him, “Do you mind if we have early dinner tonight?”

Makoto shook his head and automatically helped preparing the table. The brunette was silent most of the time and Sousuke was doing everything to get his attention. When he got nothing at all, he just sat at the dining table and invited the noiseless man.

“Hey, the silent treatment is working, but I think what you’re doing is over the top. It’s like you’re a ghost,” uttered Sousuke.

Makoto was startled by the mention of the word “ghost” and his vision went everywhere, “W-what was it?”

“I’m just saying, you’re too silent,” said Sousuke, starting to gobble his meal. “Do you like it? I’m not really good in making green curry, but I followed a recipe. Plus, I made a ref chocolate cake for dessert.”

Makoto tasted the dish. He smiled at the palatability made by Sousuke. He was putting effort. It was simple, but thoughtful. Makoto was weak with that. “Sousuke…”

“I really love it whenever you say my name,” Sousuke spoke, grinning when Makoto gave him a homicidal scowl. “I’ll shut up. What is it?”

Makoto stopped eating, “Since you’ve already claimed that I will fall madly in love with you, how about I set up conditions?”

It caught Sousuke’s interest even further, “Do tell.”

“If I fall for you for the next thirty days, then I’m all yours,” declared the brunette. Sousuke beamed at Makoto and the other continued, “but If not, I’ll leave this house and let’s pretend that none of this ever happened. Do I make myself clear?”

“You do know that I love you, right? And what you’re saying was quite unfair,” replied the teal-eyed.

“What’s so unfair with that?” inquired Makoto, “Do you think not contacting me for five years was fair? You just had all the guts in the world to come back here and say you miss and love me! I will never make it easy for you. Just be contended that I’m giving you a chance, idiot!” bawled the brunette.

“You make it sound like it is a game,” said Sousuke, resigning from any further arguments. “You better be prepared. You’ll drown in my love really hard.”

Makoto’s cheeks felt like it was on fire, “Did you just hear yourself?”

“Yeah. So what?” answered Sousuke, drinking water from his glass.

“Aren’t you embarrassed?” queried Makoto, his eyes were having difficulty looking at the person in front of him.

Sousuke sneered triumphantly at Makoto, licking his lower lip, “Don’t tell me that you’re falling already?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates will be sporadic until Christmas week. XD  
> I'll be taking an exam that can make or break my future for the next two years.


	7. This is Not a Game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!  
> This is, as usual, unbeta'ed.  
> I shall try to edit when I'm not lazy.  
> Happy Holidays!  
> Enjoy!♥

“Falling? In your dreams,” retorted the olive-haired, clearing his seat to place the plates at the sink, “and there’s one more thing.”

“What is it?” asked the teal-haired, following Makoto as the other started washing the dishes.  
“Your thirty days will start now and will end exactly at five in the afternoon,” answered Makoto, eyeing the wall clock

“Huh? You’re too specific, Makoto,” commented the teal-eyed as he dried some wares with a wash cloth.

“You will follow all my conditions and whatever rules I add midway,” Makoto handed the last plate to the other man.

“You are being a dictator,” said Sousuke, “not that I’m complaining. I love it when you’re dominant. We should do it some time.”

“Or we can stop now and I will move out tonight,” added the brunette, pacing towards the bedroom.

Before Makoto reached for the knob, Sousuke further said, “I’ll follow whatever set of whims you have but I will sleep on ‘my’ bed tonight.” The statement made the brunette stop and just glowered at the older man. Sousuke smirked, “The title says the owner of this flat is ‘Yamazaki Sousuke’ and that means …”

“You own the master’s bedroom,” ended the brunette, taking small steps back.

“I would do anything you say, Makoto. I would even buy you chocolate at three in the morning if you want, but I will never back down on this one,” stated Sousuke sternly.

Makoto heaved a sigh of defeat and just nodded at Sousuke. He rushed inside the room to grab a towel and his night clothes. The brunette paced hurriedly to the bathroom and shut the door with a loud thud.

The teal-eyed man watched the Makoto’s movements amusingly. He was fired up with this challenge. If Makoto wants to have a game with him, he would surely play. His competitive nature kicked in and thought of ways to get his ex-boyfriend flustered all over again. Although, he somehow did it a while ago since the brunette blushed like a high school girl in love.

“I think I should read some shoujo manga,” he thought. However, he imagined Rin laughing at him if the redhead ever sees him reading such material. It’s not some lewd magazine. It’s a shoujo fuckin’ manga being read by Olympian Yamazaki Sousuke. He threw the idea of using it as a reference out of the window and just wandered his eyes around the apartment.

Few minutes had passed and Makoto entered his field of vision. The brunette just walked straight to the bedroom and nearly slammed the door shut. It confused the older man. Was he mad about his request or he was just in a rush to sleep?

Sousuke just strolled back in the guestroom to get a towel and entered the shower.

* * *

  
Makoto doesn’t casually hug a pillow at night. He was used to sleep on his left side, facing the empty side of the bed for the past five years. Right now, he needed the pillow for protection because he feels quite defenseless especially when he heard the door creaked open. His form went rigid and he buried his face onto the soft cushion. He barely stopped breathing when the weight shifted the bed. He fastened his eyes and just thought of counting sheep or kittens or maybe some diving orcas. He would need to get through with this night. It’s not like Sousuke would ravage him, right? He peered from his pillow.

Green met teal.

Makoto yelped and Sousuke almost cackled, “I knew it.”

“What now?” asked the brunette, eyebrows meeting.

“I knew that you were just feigning sleep,” replied the older man, “you looked too tensed to be asleep. And what’s with the pillow? You never embraced a pillow while sleeping.”

“Tsk, it’s none of your business,” remarked Makoto with a sharp tone, rolling on the other side.

“You never fall asleep on that side. That’s what you told me before,” uttered the teal-eyed.

“You can shut your mouth now. I’m trying to sleep,” retorted the brunette.

“Fine,” Sousuke turned his back from the brunette as well, “I will just face this side if you want. Good night, Makoto.”

“Good night, Sousuke,” Makoto said as he went back to his previous position, “Added condition, never touch me while we’re in bed.”

“Whatever you want, Makoto,” Sousuke scoffed at the condition, “To tell you truthfully, I had faith in your toss and turn capability while sleeping. You know what I mean.”

Makoto resigned at the statement and started to doze off.

* * *

  
Sousuke’s eyes opened widely. None aroused him from sleep, he just woke up. He didn’t even dream. It was the first time that he has not dreamt of something filthy. And it came back to him, he was sleeping on the same bed of the same man haunting his unconscious world. He eyed the digital clock on the side table and realized that it was already time to prep up for his morning routine. He tried moving his right shoulder, but he can’t. There was some weight on the right side of his body to be precise. He moved his neck slowly and felt some hair tickling his skin.

“You said ‘no touching.’ You broke your own rule,” whispered the teal-eyed, staring at their position.

The brunette abandoned his protective pillow on the empty side of the bed. His arms wrapped on Sousuke’s upper waist and his head rested in between the space of the other’s neck and shoulder. His legs snaked in between Sousuke’s, making it hard for the older to change positions. He was not complaining.

“I don’t think I can get ready on time. I don’t mind this really,” Sousuke thought, pleased at the view. He caressed Makoto’s back, earning him a soft groan. He froze and thought that he might wake Makoto up.   
He wanted this to go for a little while because he knew that once Makoto was awake, he would just push him out of bed.

“Just a little more,” requested the teal-eyed, pecking the Makoto’s hair which emanated a citrusy scent. His mind was doing an embarrassing victory dance, but he didn’t consider this one since Makoto can just deny this later. Still, he can see himself grinning like an idiot right now.

His blissful moment was suddenly ruined by an annoying ring from Makoto’s alarm clock.

“Farewell heaven,” muttered the teal-eyed as he sensed movement from the brunette.

Makoto yawned, eyes blinking at the distracting sound and reached to shut it back into snooze mode. He returned to comfort zone, embracing his ex-boyfriend unconsciously.

This act confused the older man, “I am not complaining. I am not complaining at all.”

A few seconds later, the brunette shot up in haste as he moved away from Sousuke, “What are you doing?”

“Excuse me?” answered the teal-eyed, “You entangled yourself to me. Don’t say it like I raped you.”

Makoto bit his lower lip, an obvious pink tinge crept up his cheeks. Sousuke smirked and the other threw his ‘supposed’ protective pillow at the older man. The brunette left the bed and started walking out of the room.

“Your ‘No touching Rule while in bed’ is now void since you broke it yourself!” reminded Sousuke before Makoto bolted the door.

Sousuke did some mild stretching before following the brunette. Makoto was in the kitchen preparing breakfast. The pro swimmer approached Makoto from behind and uttered “Boo!” which made the younger screeched like a girl.

The teal-eyed guffawed at the sight and the poor scared victim hit him on the head with a hand chop.  
“Do not do that again!” exclaimed the brunette and gone back to cooking.

“I request more meat this time,” said Sousuke, moving towards the guestroom to get some change of clothes.

* * *

  
While running for over thirty minutes, Sousuke bumped into his best friend. It was not unusual since they live in the same area. It’s just that Sousuke preferred to run alone at this hour when the sun was still not shining.

“You seemed quite elated,” Rin commented, his shark-teeth grinning, “Something happened, right?”

Sousuke tried to speed up, but Rin caught up to him easily.

“Come on, Sousuke,” nudged the redhead, “I’m curious,” and made cutesy expression.

“You look nauseating, Rin,” uttered the other.

Rin stopped and kicked the Sousuke’s ass, making the bronze-medalist stumble, “Fine, let’s do rock-paper-scissors. If you lose, you’ll tell me.”

“Damn,” replied the other. Sousuke was not in the mood to say anything, so he just has to win. He was absolutely sure that he would win this time, so he chose rock. Unfortunately, Rin chose paper, “Tsk.”

“I guess I won,” barked the redhead happily, “Now tell me, any development?”

“Let’s run first,” suggested Sousuke as he started jogging and Rin followed, “Makoto and I made me a deal.”

“Which is about what?” quizzed the redhead.

“He would move out of the apartment if I could not make him fall for me in thirty days, well twenty-nine days to be exact,” started Sousuke.

“But he was still in love with you. Haru and I concluded that Makoto was in denial all along and that he never moved on,” told Rin, wiping a trickle of sweat that blurred his eyes.

“I’m really happy to know that too, but I think he has to admit it himself,” assumed the teal-eyed, “It’s easy to make someone realize that they love you rather than forcing a person in denial to voice out loud that he has feelings for you.”

“You have a point there,” agreed Rin. “Well, from what you’ve done you deserve it. Just don’t blow it up this time. Plus, you know his weaknesses well, just go with it.”

“But if I do that, it’s like courting him as a teenager. I don’t think that idea would suffice,” verbalized the teal-eyed as he stopped near a post and leaned on it.

Rin ceased running as well, “It’s Makoto, dude. His habits and reactions would most probably have not died out especially if it’s you. He’s most likely to blush like a virgin if your say something embarrassing.”

Sousuke exhaled deeply, “Well, he did impose a rule of ‘no touching while in bed’ last night. But when I woke up, he was all over me. Then, he reacted like it was my fault!”

Rin hooted at the story, “I can seriously imagine it. It happened this morning?”

“Yeah,” confirmed the teal-eyed.

“Well, I have an idea, but you will have to back me up on this with our coaches,” stated the redhead.

“It’s fine, but what is it?”

“It would help Haru as well, so I’m going to push this. Here’s how it goes,” Rin started murmuring the plan to Sousuke and both snickered.

* * *

  
At six in the morning, the sun was starting to rise up as well and Sousuke entered the flat. Makoto was nowhere to be found and he just sat at the dining table and took a scribbled note on top of his covered meal.

_“I need to be at the shop by six since we have some applicants that need to be interviewed before the shift. Plus, I added more meat as requested. - M”_

Sousuke smiled at the note, he thought it was cute. He grinned one more time when he remembered Rin’s plan, “Tomorrow will be interesting.”

* * *

  
Another day has passed and Makoto thank the heavens that he did not ‘unintentionally’ cuddle his ex-boyfriend last night. He woke up on his right side and it felt heavy. He tried to stretch, but it still hurts. He would need to have a massage later in the day. Waking himself up with a quick shot of an espresso, he smiled at the newly hired baristas-in-training.

Ryo, as usual, entered the café with a loud voice, but was embarrassed when he saw new faces in the shop, “Boss, new blood?”

The manager chuckled, “You sound like they will be sacrificed any moment now, don’t scare them please. Here, let me introduce you.”

The brunette called out the new baristas. Makoto started with the guy with short black hair and almost as tall as him, “This is Yuki Tetsuya. He will just be here for four hours since he does baseball coaching full-time.” Then, Makoto tapped the shoulder of the bearded guy with brown hair, “And he’s Isashiki Jun, he’ll work full-time for us.”

“Good morning and nice to meet you. Kindly take care of us,” Yuki greeted and bowed composedly to Ryo.

“G-GOOD M-MORNING RYO-SENPAI!” greeted the other one loudly, making some two customers giggle at him. Isashiki blushed and it made both Makoto and Ryo chortle.

“I guess, we have another loud one,” commented the manager.

Ryo beamed at the newcomers and whispered to his boss, “They bowed to me? Is that even real? I was even called senpai by ‘Beardy’ here.”

“Well, I’ve told them that you were our very first barista and that they would be under your care, so I guess I’ll leave them to you. Is that all right?” explained Makoto, patting Ryo’s back.

“Boss, you can leave them to me!” replied the senior barista.

The manager nodded and left the three. He heard Ryo telling the two about the most important thing about working in the shop.

“You boys have to smile at our customers and greet them with energy. Show them the happy auras emitted by sunflowers,” told Ryo.

Makoto chuckled at the sight. Yuki was adorable as his serious face got crumpled into smiling and just decided that a smirk would suit him. On the other hand, Isashiki was somehow in pain while smiling. The manager just gave out a little chuckle. They hired four new baristas: two for each shift. Haru sent him a message him last night that he hired additional two baristas although the original idea was only four.

He was about to enter the office when he heard the door opening, so he smiled and welcomed the customers, “Good mor-”

“Yo, Makoto,” saluted Rin.

“Morning, Makoto,” addressed Sousuke, winking at the girls at tittering at them.

“Don’t you have training today? What are you doing here?” inquired the olive-haired.

“We’ll be part-timers here, Makoto,” told Rin with a matter-of-fact tone.

“We’ll start today, love,” added Sousuke, earning a glare from Makoto and a slap on the back from Haru.

Makoto was confused, so he turned to Haru for answers, “Haru, what the hell is happening?”

Haru cleared his throat, “Makoto, these two will start today. I believe I told you about this.”

“Your message was too vague,” retorted Makoto. He can’t feel anything on his shoulder anymore, but he believed that it moved upwards. He’s having a headache at the moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a soft spot for Tetsu and Jun-san of Daiya no Ace.♥  
> It's Christmas and I need prompts!♥


	8. La La

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One, this is unbeta'ed.  
> Two, just enjoy.♥

Makoto massaged his temples. He was about to bitch out when Haru shook his head. “Let’s go inside. I don’t want to startle our customers this early,” told the raven-haired.

The co-owner went through the back door first then followed by the Olympians and then by Haru.

Makoto tried his best not to stomp all the way to the office. It wasn’t fair for Haru to decide by himself. They have a limited budget for this since they were planning on expanding the shop in the nearby town of Sano. They agreed on having four baristas. However, he found it strange that Haru sent him a message that was too ambiguous. Then, he would find out that he hired these two of all people.

_“Rin is fine. I understand that, but Sousuke? Why would Haru do this?_ ” thought Makoto, leaning on his table with arms crossed.

The athletes halted and stayed out of Haru’s way.

Makoto breathed deeply, “Explain.”

“Free Labor. That’s it,” replied Haru simply.

“So? These two are just volunteers and you accepted them without even consulting me? Aren’t we partners in this?” bawled Makoto, not caring about the other two.

Haru scratched his head and took his seat, “Calm down, Makoto. I apologize really. Rin just requested that they wanted a change of pace aside from their daily training regimen. They were granted additional days off.”

“Off? The qualifiers are happening in a few months. I don’t think they could keep up,” said Makoto, his brows almost meeting. “The Olympics is next year if I’m correct.”

“Don’t worry about it, Makoto,” Rin started, “We have extended our training program so we can work here.”

“That will put you both in a lot of physical stress! Haru, I can’t believe you just agreed on this,” Makoto blurted out, he cannot contain what idiocy is happening.

“You’re just too worried, Makoto,” Sousuke uttered.

“Shut up, Sousuke,” Makoto retorted, earning a small laugh from Rin. “Funny, I bet this is your idea, Rin.”

Rin grinned. Makoto rubbed his temples again, “If you want to be exhausted, so be it. Ruin your body or fuck up your shoulder!”

Makoto’s words stung hard on Sousuke.

“That’s why we have three days off. We’ll be here for two days and a full day of rest. Come on, Makoto. We work for free. Just treat it like social service,” Rin remarked, sneering with his shark-like teeth.

“And we’ll definitely bring more customers,” added Sousuke, making the brunette shot him with a furious glare.

“Exactly,” Haru approved and Makoto sighed one more time.

“Tsk, fine,” answered Makoto, resigning himself from further arguments.

“That’s great,” told Haru, “Well then, you two have obvious schedules, but since it’s already Saturday, you will start your official shift next Friday.”

“I still don’t like this,” Makoto knew what will happen next.

“Rin, you’re with me in the afternoon shift on Friday and Saturday. Yamazaki, you’re with Makoto for the opening shift. Sunday will be your free day,” explained the raven-haired. He turned to his friend, “Don’t scowl at me like I’ve stolen your precious rest day.”

“You just did,” Makoto replied, rolling his eyes.

“Well, I just adjusted it. I’ll take the broken rest days. You’ll have Sunday and Monday. Happy?” inquired Haru, his cool unaffected by Makoto’s obvious defiance.

“Fair enough,” said the brunette. “Sousuke, what are you waiting for? Let’s go,” commanded Makoto, going out of the office.

Sousuke followed and uttered, “Thanks” to Haru.

Once the two were out of sight, Rin leered at Haru, “So, how was my plan?”

“It’s stupid. Makoto has a point. The qualifiers will be on March and I believe you two shouldn’t be playing like this,” said Haru, standing up and embracing Rin from the back.

“You need help in this store, plus Sousuke and I thought of this like an anti-stress activity,” Rin turned around and planted a kiss on Haru’s forehead. “Plus, I get to spend more time with you like this.”

“But I will only see you at night and you’ll be asleep at that time,” whined Haru, pouting his lips that caught Rin off guard.

The redhead kissed those pink lips quickly, “We’ll manage.”

“And you promised that we’ll get married before the year ends. I’ve waited for five years, Rin,” spoke the raven-haired, nuzzling his lover’s neck. “I don’t even care if it’s just a small ceremony. All I want is to make it official that you’re mine.”

“I know, we’ll have to plan this. Well, have you told Makoto about this?” asked Rin.

“I mentioned it last month, but I don’t think he would remember since Mr. Lonely Boy was distracting him,” answered Haru.

“We should remind him,” suggested Rin.

“Yeah.”

* * *

Four hours have gone by and Yuki bade farewell to everyone. For some reason, the guy made Sousuke anxious. Makoto’s attention on this fellow was too much compared to him or that loud bearded newbie. The teal-eyed was stuck serving the orders as the Makoto took over the counter. Ryo was still busy with Isashiki.

It’s good that Sousuke had all the confidence on earth when it comes to his looks because he winks at every woman who enters the café. He even chatted with some to have them order an additional slice of cake or something. He then smirked when he caught Makoto staring intently at him and almost blew him a kiss.

During their break time, he accompanied the brunette back in the office. Makoto found a note saying that both Rin and Haru went home to rest and that they will be back in the afternoon. There was another note where Haru reminded to check his e-mail for additional procedures for their next shop.

Sousuke handed the olive-haired his lunch and smiled. He got a small smile in return.

“You’re a natural,” commented Makoto, taking a bite on a sandwich.

“Thanks,” replied the other.

“Natural at flirting,” added Makoto.

“Hey! It was unintentional and I was just trying to sell,” defended Sousuke, munching on his new favorite sandwich. “You can’t blame me for my appeal!”

“It was a good tactic on your part,” said the brunette. “Don’t go overboard, I don’t want a queue of fan girls looking for you when you’re not around.”

“You’re just jealous,” uttered the teal-eyed.

“I’m not,” responded the olive-haired.

“Are you sure?” quizzed the older man.

“I’m pretty sure, so stop it or I’ll slap that face of yours covered in arrogance,” retorted Makoto, gulping a glass of water.

The remaining hours did not go like a breeze. There were a flock of customers an hour after lunch. Isashiki handled it quite well even though there were times where almost slipped because of spilled coffee on the floor. Good thing that Ryo was completely used to this scenario and helped him straightaway.

Haru and Rin was an hour early and they started on the dot since the customers were magically piling up. Another pair of new baristas came in, namely Shoyo and Tobio and they were startled upon seeing the shop. Makoto took the initiative on entertaining the newbies swiftly. He apologized about the chaos and reminded them that they can always ask when they need help. Ayaka expressed her regret in being late because of she was delayed by her professor. Haru dismissed her and told her to help.

At half past three, the turmoil gradually evaporated. The morning team was at their lockers, looking entirely exhausted except for Sousuke who was somehow too elated for a reason.

“That was awesome!” he commented after adjusting his shirt, Ryo quirked an eyebrow at him.

“Yamazaki-san, I know you have a great stamina and everything, but at least look a little tired,” replied the semi-baldy.

“I-it was r-really a good experience f-for me. My blood pumped up,” added Isashiki with a wide grin.

Sousuke offered a fist bump to Isashiki, “See? I’m not the only one.”

There was a weak clapping sound from the door and the trio looked immediately at door. Makoto was beaming brightly, “I’m glad you three were alright amidst the disorder. Thanks for your hard today.”

“Boss, you know we can handle anything!” Ryo yelled with enthusiasm.

The olive-haired manager smiled once more and told them to rest before leaving the shop. Sousuke followed Makoto back in the office. He sat at an empty chair near Makoto’s desk.

The brunette sat back on his seat and encoded the sales made during the morning. He also monitored the ingredients and saw that some were already depleted. He dialed a number to order additional meat and spices. He also followed-up some beans and tea leaves for their beverages.

“Do you need help?” asked the teal-eyed.

“Nope. I can handle this one,” answered Makoto, his eyes were plastered on the screen. “Why don’t you go home?”

“I’m waiting for you,” said Sousuke, playing something with his phone.

“I’m quite busy, so you go ahead,” spoken the brunette, “I still have to finish this today since I won’t be back until Tuesday.”

“Fine, what time will you get home? I’ll just cook dinner,” told Sousuke, standing up from his chair.

“I’m not sure, but I want green curry,” said the brunette as he continued to type.

“Again?” clarified the other, “All right, I bet you want sweets.”

“Chocolate ice cream,” requested Makoto, warranting a glare from Sousuke, “What now?”

“You’ll get fat in no time, you know,” teased the older man.

“I can take of my body just fine,” retorted Makoto.

Sousuke gave up and went out of the office. He went back to locker areas to see if the two were still there. Ryo and Isashiki were about to leave as well. The two ran to office to say goodbye to Makoto and went out. He ambled the streets for a few minutes until he reached home. He searched for the leftover ingredients from his previous cooking attempt. When he found none, he rushed at the nearby supermarket to buy the items, not forgetting Makoto’s Ice cream. He chose the one with low in fat at least.

At a quarter before six, Sousuke prepared the table with their dinner. He smiled at the simplicity and appreciated the savoring smell of his ‘green curry.’ He rushed to the door when he heard someone opening it.

“Welcome home,” he greeted at Makoto with glee.

The olive-haired, on the other hand, did not reply immediately. His face was painted with mild confusion and then he realized and answered, “I’m home.” He faced down and hurriedly sauntered to his room to change. He didn’t want to see Sousuke’s beaming smile at the moment. He was alarmed when there was a knock on his door and he opened it barely. He took a peek and saw Sousuke’s soft expression.

“Dinner’s ready. We can eat now if you’re hungry,” he suggested.

Makoto fully opened the door and stepped out of the room. He yielded once he sniffed his favorite meal and dug in as soon as he thanked for the food. “This is really good.”

“That’s great then,” replied the other.

After finishing dinner, Sousuke served dessert. He noticed Makoto’s blush when the younger man looked delectably at the ice cream. He snickered at the scene.

“You sure put an effort, Sousuke,” stated Makoto, wiping his mouth with a cloth after dessert.

“I have a time limit. I’m not planning to be lenient,” declared the older man, washing all the dishes at the sink.

Makoto would like voice out his appreciation, but he didn’t. He didn’t want to let the other’s head get bigger than it is. He opted for a shower while the other is cleaning up.

Although they don’t have any schedule for tomorrow, both planned on sleeping early. Makoto was already comfy on his side as Sousuke entered the room. The older man wanted to sleep on the side facing Makoto, but chose the other side instead. It was not his comfort zone to be honest. He always liked watching the other one fall asleep. He turned around when he felt the bed moving. Makoto was sitting up and looking at him.

“W-what?” Sosuke asked when the brunette went nearer and pinning him. His back was flat on the bed.

“Hush. I concur that you are a nice pillow, so please cooperate, Sousuke,” answered the brunette, snaking his legs in between Sousuke’s and wrapping his arms on the other’s waist.

Sousuke’s voice almost hitched when Makoto rested his head on his chest. “Uhm, Makoto, I thought -”

“I said you’re a nice pillow. Deal with it,” claimed the brunette.

Sousuke did not complain any further. He was actually delighted at this situation. At least Makoto was not pushing him away at some point. “Are there some things that I can’t do while we’re in this position? Like caressing your back for example?”

“That’s fine with me, as long as you don’t touch my butt or any acts of sexual harassment,” Makoto pointed out. _“And don’t carelessly say that you love me,”_ he thought.

“Okay,” agreed the other.

A few seconds after, Sousuke asked another thing, “Makoto? What are plans for tomorrow?”

“Nothing. Why?” replied Makoto sleepily.

“It’s your birthday and seriously, you’re not going to celebrate,” said the older the man.

“I stopped celebrating five years ago,” answered Makoto.

Sousuke brushed his fingers on Makoto’s back, outlining his edges slowly. The brunette purred softly because of the touch. The older man dared to go lower, but stopped because he felt that Makoto was already asleep. He stared at the bedside clock and counted the hours before Makoto’s birthday. His ex-boyfriend loved celebrations and he wondered if he’s the cause of this one too.

Anyways, he just has to plan Makoto’s day tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays and the new year is about to come!♥  
> Thank you for reading!


	9. Wherever You will Go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is unbeta'ed. [XD I need an active beta. hahaha♥]  
> It was supposed to be posted last night, but I wasn't able to finish because it's New Year.  
> [Fireworks display and karaoke galore!XD]  
> Enjoy!♥
> 
> -=HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!=-

Sousuke busted the door open and saw Makoto still buried under the covers. He glanced at the clock and it was almost noon. The teal-eyed man trudged towards the bed and pulled the blanket enveloping his ex-boyfriend. Makoto whined as he lost the comfortable cloth and rolled on the side. His free arm searched for it, but there was none. Sousuke sat on bed and grazed his fingers lightly on Makoto’s side.

“Wake up, Makoto,” he whispered, letting his breath brush on Makoto’s skin.

The younger man tossed and intuitively slapped Sousuke’s face. He slowly sat up, blinking to adjust his vision. He rubbed his eyes and yawned, his sight finally adapting to morning light. He glimpsed Sousuke rubbing his cheek as if he was soothing it from pain. “What’s the matter?” he asked.

The older man gave him a ‘what the fuck’ look and just answered, “You’re instincts are deadly, Makoto.”

“Did I just hit you or something?” enquired the sleepyhead, stretching his limbs for a bit.

“Something like that,” answered Sousuke. “I know you like to sleep, but sleeping for more than ten hours is unheard of. What time did we get to bed last night?”

“Eight? I thought it was too early,” told the brunette. “So what?”

“It’s almost 12 noon, Makoto,” remarked Sousuke, walking towards the closet and opening it wide. He threw some clothes that would look good on the birthday boy. “I made reservations and we’re going to be late. The taxi I booked was already downstairs.”

Makoto threw some of the clothes back at Sousuke, “I told you I don’t plan on celebrating this year as well, so let me sleep!”

“I want to celebrate it with you today. Move or do you even want me to dress you up?” bawled the teal-eyed man, tugging Makoto’s pajamas.

The younger one swatted Sousuke’s arms. He will not let this guy undress him at this moment, “Fine! Give me ten minutes to get ready. Damn!”

Makoto marched towards the bathroom with his chosen clothes and tidied himself. He washed his face thoroughly and brushed his teeth roughly, his gums almost bled. “What’s wrong with him?” his thoughts wandered. It’s fine if he could just stay at home as always and mope around. He’d done that before and he was looking forward to it as well, but Sousuke has to ruin everything for him.

A few minutes after, the birthday boy stomped out of the washroom, “Your plans should better be good or hell I would totally be pissed off today!”

“I made lunch reservations, a movie afterwards, then I also have a limited voucher for a sweets buffet at the newly opened hotel in the city and I could add some more if you want,” narrated the older man.

Forget all the other plans, the sweets buffet had taken over Makoto’s brain, “I’m ready. What are you waiting for? Let’s go!” The olive-haired man pulled Sousuke with him.

* * *

  
Makoto looked outside the window. The ocean sparkled like sapphire even though it was already fall. He appreciated their location at the moment. He peered at the man sitting across him as he sliced his steak.

“Do you like the view?” asked the older man, smiling at Makoto.

“I can say that I don’t hate it,” replied the other, breaking their eye contact as he returned his gaze outside. “Hey, can we skip the movie? This sounds like a typical date for me and it’s nauseating, to be honest. ”

“It’s fine, but what do you want to do after this? We can’t go straight to the hotel since the sweets buffet is only available after three in the afternoon,” said Sousuke, drinking a glass of wine. “Want some?”

Makoto refused the offer, “I think I’ll pass.” He didn’t want to ruin his appetite for his much awaited cake bounty. And it’s still too early for him to drink. He stared at Sousuke’s reddening cheeks. “I suggest that glass would be your last one. We both know that you can only hold 2 glasses of wine.”

“The alcohol content is not that much and I am not that weak when it’s good wine. If it’s beer, then I wouldn’t be drinking at this hour,” explained the other.

Makoto rolled his eyes, “I wouldn’t bring you home if you fall asleep later. I am serious.”

“Yes, sir!” replied Sousuke, smirking at Makoto, handing him a little gift box, “By the way, Happy Birthday!”

Makoto was contemplating if he should refuse the gift. He accepted out of courtesy and tried to put it inside his pocket when he saw Sousuke smiling like an idiot as if he wanted Makoto to open the gift in front of him. Letting out a deep breath, he undid the green ribbon and opened the box. At first glance, he didn’t really understand what the item was. It was a black and circular. As he looked closer, there was an engraved animal, an orca to be precise.

Sousuke noticed Makoto’s confusion and described the gift, “I don’t think you had piercing, but I bet I you would look good with a stud on one ear. So, I chose that magnetic ones. They customized the engraving for me. ”

“Thanks,” nodding, Makoto pulled the two pieces apart and placed it on his right earlobe, “How does it look?”

“I knew it! It looks perfect on you,” uttered Sousuke, showing the other his widest grin. He loved the jewel on Makoto since it made him more irresistible than ever. He heaved a sigh as he tried his mightiest not to yank the younger man out in public. He gripped the poor table cloth frustratingly.

Makoto felt his cheeks burn as he heard the comment. It was just a gift and it doesn’t mean anything. Sousuke, for some reason, love spoiling him with gifts he never asked for. They even had an argument before that Makoto felt emasculated with Sousuke’s gifts as he always received jewels from him. However, he just had to accept Sousuke’s generous nature at some point. The accessories were masculine enough for him, but he really doesn’t use much. He just kept most of his gifts in a drawer back in the apartment.  
His thoughts were interrupted when he felt Sousuke’s hand on top of his. He automatically withdrew his hand and said, “Sorry, it’s a reflex.”

Sousuke beamed faintly, “It’s fine. So, where do you suggest going after this one?”

Makoto replied simply, “There’s a place that I’ve been curious about for a while now. I guess we can take a peek there right after.”

“Wherever you want, birthday boy,” answered Sousuke, gulping his wine glass empty.

* * *

 

“So this is the place?” quizzed the teal-eyed man, surveying the entire place.

They entered a seemingly new building. They stopped at the third floor as they entered the proposed place. There weren’t many visitors as Sousuke expected, but it definitely looked like an arcade. Maybe recreation area for a bit older peeps since Sousuke saw college students hanging around at the lobby and some people were eating at the bar counter. At the middle area, there are some arcade games that were enjoyed by uniformed people.

“Ah! Yuki!” Makoto yelled and it caught the attention of the guy at the bar counter.

He approached the two, “Tachibana-san, Yamazaki-san, welcome. You should have told me that you were coming.”

“It’s okay, I just remembered it while I was eating that I want to try out that baseball practice machine that you’ve mentioned,” replied Makoto, smiling as sunshine.

This interaction made Sousuke uncomfortable, he went closer to Makoto and even tried to rest his hand on his waist, but the other walked away as Makoto followed Yuki.

Sousuke did remember that aside from being a coach, he also co-owned an establishment with his brother and took care of it every weekend. He was just dragged by Isashiki in applying for a barista position.

They went at the end of a hallway and entered a room. It was well designed for five people wanting to practice their batting with automated machines. There were no people at the moment and it made Makoto excited because they can use the area exclusively.

Sousuke leaned on a wall with crossed arms as he watched bitterly at the scene happening before him. Yuki was showing the Makoto the proper stance at batting. Since he was touching Makoto’s hand, Sousuke can’t help grimacing at them. It wasn’t fair. If he can just lose his cool at this moment, he would, but it might ruin Makoto’s mood. He inhaled more oxygen and breathed out slowly to ease his anxiety. He can conclude one thing: he was jealous.

After fifteen grueling minutes for the teal-eyed man, Makoto finally got used to batting and he kept on hitting the balls consistently. Yuki commented that he batted well for a rookie, but some were still foul if it was on an actual game. When he felt tired, he asked for a break.

Sousuke used this moment to confront Yuki and challenge him. “Nah, Yuki, care for a batting throwdown?”

Yuki smirked at the challenge, “Are you sure?”

Makoto somehow panicked at what’s occurring. He can definitely perceive Sousuke’s evil aura emanating from him and there’s a fiery air coming out of Yuki as well. He sighed. These two were too competitive for their own good. He grabbed Sousuke’s arm, pulling him a bit closer and whispered, “What the hell are you doing? He was a captain and cleanup during high school. He was even scouted as a pro, but he turned it down since he wanted to coach. I believe the outcome will be obvious.”

“Makoto, you do know I’m pretty good at any sport and if I challenge someone I know I can win,” replied the teal-eyed man, getting a bat and searched for his spot. He stared at Yuki, “Yuki, do you accept?”

“Yeah, any wager?” asked the cleanup.

“Winner gets to have exclusive barista training under Makoto on Friday,” suggested Sousuke.

“What?” bawled Makoto, shooting a furious glare at his ex-boyfriend.

“Fair enough,” agreed Yuki.

Makoto wanted to contest about their wager. Training was handled by Ryo. He would just be assisting since the co-owners planned on promoting the guy for their next shop. Makoto can’t believe that the other athlete accepted this one. He understood that they were both competitive, but this was somehow childish.

The rule of the game was simple. The one who hits the ball the most wins. However, it would have five sets with ten balls to be hit per set. In short, it’ll be like best of three. The first set was miraculously won by Sousuke and Makoto clapped with slight enthusiasm. The brunette cheered when Yuki won the second set and it made Sousuke flare up even more. Half an hour later, Makoto yawned as they game ended. It was well-forecasted and Makoto knew it. Sousuke was good, but Yuki was far better. The cleanup won the three sets straight.

Sousuke knew that he was a sore loser, so he shouted, “One more-”

Makoto hugged the older man tightly from behind with one arm and his free hand covered Sousuke’s mouth, “That was awesome Yuki! Congratulations!”

“Thank you, Tachibana-san,” replied Yuki, returning the used bats on a container.

“Makoto is fine,” told the olive-haired, his hands were still on Sousuke’s mouth. “Yuki, I’m thirsty can we order drinks at the counter?”

“Then, Tetsu is fine as well,” answered the shorter man. “I can prepare your beverages while you two rest here or at the lounge. What do you want?”

“Two brewed iced teas,” requested Makoto, smiling as he watched Yuki exit the room. Then, he let go of Sousuke, who almost complained at his lack of air supply. “You’re acting like a kid, Sousuke.”

The teal-eyed man scoffed, “It’s what you call being competitive. It’s a healthy habit.”

“No, it’s not. You dare to challenge batting game with a baseball player? Seriously, you looked funny,” Makoto laughed at Sousuke. “Where did that come from anyway?”

Sousuke looked down, “He was touching you.”

“Huh? When?” asked Makoto, baffled as he thought about what transpired before the challenge. “I’ve never played baseball and I was curious, so I asked him if he could at least teach me how to bat.”

Sousuke remained silent. Of course he knew that, he might look possessive, but he doesn’t really like Makoto being cozy with another person outside their circle of friends. The Nagisa-Kisumi skinship was enough.

Makoto sauntered towards the door. Before exiting, he teased, “I bet you’re jealous of Tetsu.”

“What if I am?” responded the Olympian. Sousuke was jealous of their interaction and now they were on first name basis. Friendship will be fine. But if that dude would get in the way, hell would break lose in Iwatobi.

Makoto shook his head as he laughed at the response. His cheeks and ears were definitely pink at the moment, but he didn’t care. His smile was on the verge of grinning widely or just smirking a bit. He continued walking along the hallway, “You don’t have to worry about him, Sousuke.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My bias on Yuki was too obvious.  
> @LuckyClover - Kuroko and Kagami, you say? I'll take that into consideration.


	10. The Closer I Get to You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so forgive me for any errors since I am quite groggy.  
> I hope you enjoy!
> 
> *Beware! Cheesy line ahead*  
> *slumps on bed*

“What was that?” Sousuke needed to confirm what he just heard. He followed the olive-haired in haste, almost bumping into a swinging door.

“I said let’s go have our drink, Sousuke. I’m thirsty,” lied Makoto as he reached the counter and sat on a stool.

Sousuke chose a seat beside Makoto and took the prepared beverage served by Yuki himself. He gave him a curt nod of gratitude. He glanced at the man beside him who was smiling at his phone with his earphone on. Curiosity got him, so he inclined closer. The brunette didn’t flinch at their proximity, “What are you watching?”

“Oh,” reacted Makoto, taking off one ear bud and offered to Sousuke, “Since I stopped celebrating, Nagisa convinced everyone that they should make a birthday greeting to me every year. It was sweet and it gives me slight happiness during those years.”

A dagger went straight to Sousuke. He didn’t need to ask the grounds on Makoto’s change of attitude towards this day. He just continued to watch the video, “I guess that Nagisa was the one who chooses the theme every year.”

“Yeah, he secretly meets everyone for a video and then I’ll just be surprised with the outcome,” told Makoto, eyes still fixated on the screen.

“Meets in secret, huh?” A realization hit the older man. A few weeks ago, the little ball of energy with golden hair pulled him along with Rin into a weird place. It was decorated with pictures of famous landmarks from different countries. There he found some people from their circle of friends. The Mikoshiba brothers were wearing thick winter clothes and acted like it was really c old. They were supposed to be at the city square of Moscow. Rei was a soldier who was guarding the Buckingham Palace. Rin was, of course, in Sydney. Then, Haru was wearing his swimsuit and the background was from a tropical place called El Nido. Nagisa dragged Sousuke for his costume. He wore Grecian clothing with thin white fabric and was forced to act and say something embarrassing according to the script. He even asked the little twerp on why he had to do this, but was interrupted by Rin. Sousuke now knew the answer.

Makoto was giggling at the Mikoshiba brothers because they were too good in acting like they were really there. He guffawed when Rei posed in unconventional positions. Nagisa was supposedly in Cambodia and he was searching for a treasure that he can give for his friend’s birthday. His part had edited explosions and he even rolled on dirt for a dramatic effect. The brunette wondered who else would be in the video.

Sousuke grabbed Makoto’s cellphone immediately when he heard his voice, “We can skip this part, Makoto.”

“You’re in there too? I need to see it. Give it back,” he reached for Sousuke’s raised arm, the earphones fell on the counter. “That video is for me!”

“What’s the matter?” Yuki asked as he heard the commotion.

“Great! Tetsu, help me!” requested Makoto, tackling Sousuke

It’s quite good that there were no more people at the moment or this situation would have been entirely humiliating. Sousuke fell flat on his butt and Makoto snatched his phone back, running into a corner. The teal-eyed man was then withheld by Yuki from behind, “Yo, Yuki, you better let me go or else.”

“I am just following orders. Why on earth did you two become too hostile all of a sudden?” inquired Yuki, fighting the Olympian’s strength.

“Because that birthday video contains something embarrassing and I will bury myself six feet under if Makoto sees it,” explained the teal-eyed man, resisting Yuki’s armlock.

“Oh, was it Makoto’s birthday? I haven’t greeted him,” told the baseball player.

“That’s not the point!” claimed Sousuke, looking at Makoto’s direction.

If Makoto was the same one in high school, then he would definitely flare up at this scene and even combust. He knew that his ex-boyfriend was overconfident with looks since it was properly backed up, but wearing pearly thin clothes and splaying himself on a couch like a deity with further accentuations of slick bronze skin was unheard of. He was sure that the video was supposed to be great for general audiences, but this should fall under the parental guidance rate. Nagisa was surely creative in this kind of thing. He hypothesized that Haru was behind all the artistic stuff for the set. He paused the video to breathe deeply. He would have to re-watch Sousuke’s after all.

After Gou’s scene in the desserts of the Middle East, the last part of the video showed Sousuke. The camera started to wander around Sousuke carnal features. Makoto was contemplating on whether to call Nagisa to thank him or shout at him for this one. When he heard the Olympian groan because of the sweet taste of grapes that he was eating, the brunette inhaled all the oxygen he could intake.

“Babe, I just wish I am your birthday,” whispered Sousuke, eyes smoldering to the camera, “so you would get fired up whenever I come.” The scene ended with Sousuke’s wink.

Makoto stopped watching the end credits and put his phone back in his back pocket. He approached the two and tapped Yuki’s shoulder, “Thanks for him holding off, Tetsu.”

“No problem,” replied Yuki, releasing his grasp from Sousuke, “By the way, Happy Birthday. The drink and the fee for the practice machine will be on the house.”

“Thank you very much,” said Makoto, nodding as Yuki left to the backroom. The brunette looked at his companion who was now stretching on a nearby sofa. “You were, hmmm, how should I say this, uhm, fascinating, I guess.”

“Stop it. I will never do that ever again,” Sousuke wanted to vanish at this moment. He can apparently see the giggle that Makoto was holding.

The birthday boy failed at containing his laughter and started chuckling for a few good seconds, “I can’t believe Nagisa was able to persuade you to do that.”

“I cannot believe that one myself until I realized what I’ve done,” answered Sousuke, scratching his nape. “He has great talent in swaying people. He should be a professional swindler. I never thought it was for you until I realized it a moment ago. I just wore what he gave me then said what was on the script. Seriously, my dignity is sullied. ”

Makoto snickered and imagined the said scenario, “Well, thanks for the effort. It was highly appreciated.” He snapped his gaze towards the digital wall clock at the counter, his eyes grew big, “Sousuke, we need to hurry! It’s past three. The sweets buffet!” The brunette pulled Sousuke’s arm in a rush.

“Wait! We should tell Yu-”

“Tetsu! Sorry, we need to leave,” shouted the birthday boy.

The baseball player peeked from the backroom, “Well, take care!”

The two waved goodbye to Yuki and almost ran out of the building. He was too excited that he didn’t notice the stoplight. Sousuke grabbed Makoto’s arm when a car came and almost run into the olive-haired. “Those cakes will not run away, Makoto. No need to hurry. We can take a cab if you want.”

“Good idea, book one now!” demanded Makoto, staring back at the older man with sparkly eyes and flowery aura.

Sousuke sighed at Makoto’s enthusiasm. It was kind of cute to be honest and at least it wasn’t that awkward. He flipped his phone open and dialed the hotline of the same taxi company that he booked earlier.

Half a minute after, a cab stopped at the corner street that the older man instructed. Makoto almost ran inside and Sousuke, well, just followed. As they were inside the vehicle, the teal-eyed man cannot avert his eyes from the guy besides whose emitting, as Ryu had said, happy aura from sunflowers, “You’re too excited for a bunch of sweet rolls with chocolate.” Makoto sent him a death glare and Sousuke was somehow terrified. “Don’t get in the way of Makoto and desserts,” he noted.

A few minutes after they arrived at the hotel, they were guided in the restaurant and Makoto just jumped in joy when he saw the lineup of sugary haven. Sousuke told Makoto to start as he waited at their table. He looked around the area, he would definitely have Diabetes just by looking and smelling all the sweet concoctions around.

“You’re not getting any?” asked Makoto, holding a tray of goodies instead of a normal plate.

“Well, maybe a little later,” answered the teal-eyed man, “Have you seen some sugar-free stuff around here?”

Makoto was already digging in and had to pause to reply, “There’s a table dedicated for that. You have to pass the third table by the counter and after you see the long table with different types of chocolate fountains, and that’s it.”

Hearing the description of chocolate fountain, Sousuke was sure that he saw swirls before his eyes. He gulped the remaining tea from his cup and stood up to venture out this dessert hell. He didn’t hate dessert, but seeing a lot of it was somehow nauseating.

The older man endured the scenery for more than three hours and he was surprised that Makoto, even with his God-given sweet tooth, can stomach everything. Well, he did come back for seconds, thirds, fourths, Sousuke had lost count. And every time Makoto comes back at their table, it seemed like he was never full. It was a blessing that the buffet was only good for three hours, at least Sousuke’s soul was saved from the hellish number of desserts.

As they went out of the hotel, Makoto comforted his companion by patting his back, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” replied the older man weakly, “I was just traumatized by their variety. It was my first time in a dessert buffet, so forgive me.”

Makoto chuckled, “Were the cheesecakes too monstrous for you?”

“Who would make a six-feet tall blueberry cheesecake? Come on, it was almost as big as I am, but far wider!” whined Sousuke, covering his face with his hands.

The brunette held his laughter and suggested to grab some fries. He thought that maybe the smell of fast food would alleviate the overwhelming memories of those sweets.

“It’s that fine?” confirmed the older man.

“Yeah, I don’t want you vomiting every time you see a chocolate,” answered the birthday boy.

They walked down the street and entered the nearest fast food establishment. Sousuke ordered for two meals and left when got their food. They decided to walk for almost an hour while eating their take out. At least, Sousuke was relieved from his nightmare.

They turned to a corner and reached their apartment. “Uh, we're here,” Makoto commented, adjusting his coat.

“I didn’t notice,” added Sousuke.

Both went upstairs and entered their unit. It was silent, their journey going home was light and their conversation was not awkward. However, as soon as they were home, everything seemed reverted. Sousuke opted for a quick shower and Makoto slumped on the couch.

The olive-haired man grabbed his phone from his pocket and replayed the birthday video. He still guffawed at his friends, but at the last clip, he paused. He had seen it before, there would be nothing wrong on seeing it again. “Tsk,” he pressed the play button and reran the scene. He would be lying that if at first he didn’t find it funny, but the visuals were stimulating. He paused the video and traced his fingers on Sousuke, outlining his edges.

“Makoto, you wanna shower?” advised the older man as soon as he got out of the bathroom.

The birthday boy was startled. He exited the video application and placed his phone on the table, “Later, I’m still resting.” His vision was glued on the man with only a towel around his hip, droplets of water sinfully sliding down his skin. Makoto averted his eyes from the temptation and pinch himself to come around and not let Sousuke good physique get to him.

When Sousuke emerged from the guest room, he sat beside Makoto. He stared at the magnetic earring, “Yo, I don’t think that accessory is enough gift for you. If you have any request, I’ll do it.”

“Kiss me,” replied the brunette.

“Huh?” Sousuke uttered, “Hey, you sure?”

“You said, any request, right? Then, kiss me, Yamazaki Sousuke,” responded the brunette.

Sousuke moved closer, his hand cupped Makoto’s neck. He inched closer, their lips almost grazing, “You can still-”

Makoto pulled his shirt towards him and both of lips crashed for a mere second. Sousuke nipped and bit Makoto’s lower lip lightly. Their peppered kisses lasted longer and Sousuke was the first to pull away. He stared at his ex and saw disappointment.

“Seriously, you call that one a kiss? What am I middle schooler?” stated the brunette.

Sousuke rolled his eyes and kissed the brunette harder, pushing him down the sofa. He outlined Makoto’s lips with his tongue and pried it open. The other gasped and opened his mouth, letting him in. His head titled, angling to a comfortable position. The heat increased and Sousuke intensified the pressure, rubbing his tongue passionately against Makoto’s. The younger man moaned softly from the back of his throat as he longed for more contact.

When the brunette felt the man growing harder, he snapped back to reality and pushed Sousuke away. He tried to catch his breath for a moment and dared to face Sousuke. There was an evident displeasure from his ex and Makoto shook his head, “Please, not now.” He rose from the couch and marched to the shower.

Inside the bathroom, Makoto hurriedly unclothed himself and jumped inside the shower, turning the cold knob to wash away any warmth that built up from what they did. He lathered his citrusy body wash on him, rinsing any scent left by Sousuke. “No, for heaven’s sake, Makoto, what do you want?” he asked himself as he finished bathing.

He peered outside and tiptoed out of the bathroom. When he reached his room, he found no trace of Sousuke. He took a set of fresh pajamas and wore them. Then, he approached Sousuke’s door and knocked. Few seconds had passed and no one answered. He attempted for a second and a third. Losing his patience, he turned the handle and peeked inside. Sousuke was covered fully by a blanket. He loomed the bed and sat at the edge.

“I’m sorry, I-”

“It’s fine. I can’t control myself anyway,” answered the older man.

“Well, you were, uhm, well, hard and I don’t think it was appropriate at the moment,” muttered Makoto, staring at the window.

“It went away as fast as you’ve pushed me, so no big deal,” told Sousuke.

“I’m sorry-”

Sousuke sat up and his arm pulled Makoto, kissing his hair, “I said it’s fine, but I don’t think I can sleep with you tonight. I might do something else while you’re sleeping.”

“I’m not a teenager,” said the brunette.

“As you’ve said it’s not appropriate at the moment,” retorted the teal-eyed man, “Please, Makoto, I never want to force you.”

Makoto heaved a sigh, “Fine, but I’m sleeping here. I am curious at your self-control.”

“You’re going to get raped, you know,” Sousuke answered, massaging his right shoulder.

“Try it and the deal is off,” Makoto said cheekily.

Sousuke smacked his head, “You’re too cruel and don’t say it like it’s easy to control my urges especially when it’s you. Damn it!”

Makoto crawled on the left side of the bed, he faced the older man and sneered, “What? Don’t tell me you can come just by looking at me.” He chuckled and rolled on his left side, facing the window.

Sousuke laid flat on his back for a while and rolled on his left side as well. He traced Makoto’s back with his fingertips, earning a slight groan of annoyance from Makoto. He closed the gap between them and wrapped his arm on the other’s waist, interlacing his fingers with the brunette.

“Maybe next time I’ll come just by looking at you, but you need to be naked,” pronounced the teal-eyed man.

“Not gonna happen,” expressed Makoto, “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Makoto,” replied Sousuke, kissing the back of Makoto’s neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *snores*  
> Thaannnkzzzz


	11. Cold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One, this is unbeta'ed. [I shall try to edit sometime. XD]  
> Two, there's a new character and because he's my bias I included him.  
> Three, enjoy!

“If you don’t mind me asking, how are you two?” Rin asked Sousuke as soon as they finished their training.

The teal-eyed man shrugged, “We’re stable. It was too stable that we looked like we were back to normal.”

“So what’s wrong with that?” uttered the redhead as he walked straight to his locker and gathered some of his things.

Sousuke did the same, his towel slinging over his shoulder, “Well, weeks passed and then I realized that I only have a few days left before the deal ends.” The teal-eyed man removed his legskins and entered a shower cubicle.

Rin entered the one on his right and turned on the shower knobs, “You’re worried because he hasn’t admitted or because you haven’t had sex with him yet.”

“I say both. I’m running out of ideas, Rin. Help me on this one,” whined the taller man.

“I would love to, but I am quite busy since we got a notification that we have to leave on the first week of February. Haru got furious and bitched out on me when I told him,” told the redhead.

“You did promise that you’ll get married before the year ends,” replied Sousuke as he soaped his torso.

“Yeah, so I almost rushed everything. It turned out to be a small ceremony with our families and closest of friends. I’ve booked everyone’s flight tickets and hotels, so just be there,” Rin washed all the bubbles on his body and reached for a towel.

“I’ll pay for our ticket and accommodation,” suggested Sousuke, wiping his muscular arms dry.

“Nah, just do the same for me and Haru when you two get married,” grinned the redhead.

“I wish,” muttered the taller man.

“Claim it and you’ll get whatever you want!” encouraged Rin, exiting the cubicle and leaving Sousuke.

Sousuke smiled weakly to himself. To be honest, he wasn’t sure about their situation. At first, he really wanted retribution from Makoto, but that didn’t happen. So, he decided to take him back, but he had no clue how to do it until the other one suggested their little game. His words and confidence are nothing. His heart was under Makoto’s clutches. If his angel, no, his little cute demon, wanted to play until the very end, then so be it. He had no intentions of letting Makoto go even if he denies his heart on the last day.

The teal-eyed man closed his locker as he finished. As he went out of the pool area, Rin was sitting on a sofa with a pair of earphones as he watched a video in his phone. Sousuke stopped in front of the redhead and tilted his head towards the exit.

As they sauntered the streets to their destination, the talked about Rin’s upcoming wedding. It’ll be in a small chapel in Toronto and will be held two days after Christmas. While they were on the train, Sousuke voiced out that he envied the two and the redhead just patted his best friend’s back and told him not to give up yet.

The two parted a few minutes after when Rin has to go right to reach Haru’s house. Sousuke bade his friend a good night as the sun already came down two hours before they finished practice. The teal-eyed man went straight ahead for two minutes and turned to corner. When he reached his apartment building, he looked up at their apartment window and saw that there was no visible light.

Sousuke entered the apartment and confirmed that Makoto was already asleep. His disenchanted sigh echoed throughout the living room. He then went to the kitchen and saw a covered meal on the table with a note.

_I went shopping after work and luckily there was a huge discount for a kilo of katsu. So, I prepared your favorite. You can get the sauce in the fridge. Enjoy! –M_

_P.S. We need to be early tomorrow because a bunch of businessmen reserved a few tables for their meeting._

The older man beamed after reading the note. He wolfed down the mean heartily for a while. Then, he washed the dishes after. He returned to his room to change his clothes into pajamas and went to the bathroom to get ready for sleep.

Minutes after, he peeked thru the room and tiptoed to his side of bed. He slowly dipped his butt onto the mattress. As he lied on his back, he faced Makoto’s side. The brunette was sleeping soundly and Sousuke was tempted. He was so drawn to his so-called lover that he realized that he was already holding him. He pressed his lips softly onto Makoto’s forehead and whispered, “Good night, love.”

* * *

“Sousuke, wake up!” Makoto shook the athlete.

“Hmmm,” uttered the older man, engulfing Makoto in his arms.

The olive-haired man planted his palms on the bed to support himself. He slapped the sleeping man quite hard, “I’ll leave you if you don’t wake up now! Didn’t you see my note last night?”

“I did,” muttered Sousuke, massaging his abused cheek.

Makoto logrolled the older man out of his blanket and Sousuke yawned as he tried to get up. The younger man went to the kitchen first and placed their breakfast on the table while the other one fetched clothes from the guest room. The two ate quietly.

Makoto noticed that the older man was drifting off while eating, “If you’re too exhausted from training, you don’t need to come in the café.”

Sousuke snapped back when he heard his beloved’s voice, “I’m not tired. I just slept a little late last night.”

“Because?” quizzed the brunette.

Sousuke replied plainly, “I was watching you sleep then I grasped it was already midnight.”

Makoto felt his cheeks burn from what the teal-eyed man had said. He lowered his face than usual to hide it, “I’ll prepare two shots of espresso for you later then.”

“That would be great,” answered the older man.

Immediately after breakfast Makoto told to wash the dishes as he needed to check his mail for. The brunette printed out some resumes of candidates for interview later after lunch. He retrieved the document and waited for the older man to finish arranging the plates.

“Lock the door, I’ll go down first,” said the brunette.

* * *

The two came in at exactly 7 in the morning. The businessmen were already at their seats and Jun was tending to their needs. Tetsu was in the counter and was occupied by two female students. Ryu was the one preparing most of the orders.

“Sorry, Ryo,” apologized the brunette.

“It’s fine, boss. It’s wasn’t so busy anyway,” replied the barista. “But Yamazaki-san, we need your charm now so hurry up and change!”

“Yeah, yeah,” answered Sousuke, entering the back and ran to the lockers.

Makoto went straight to the office and checked today’s schedule. He would have to finish the spreadsheet of their sales before the end of the year. Additionally, there are still some documents to be accomplished before the week ended for the finalization of their business permit for their second café. Lastly, he would need at least four new baristas for their new branch. And if Haru would agree with his idea, they would need a cook so they could cut the cost of ordering their sandwiches.

The brunette sighed at his calendar. Haru was sure busy with his wedding and there were days that Makoto had to cover for his co-owner. He reached for his phone and dialed Haru’s number.

_“Hello?”_

_“Haru, it’s Makoto.”_

_“G’morning.”_

_“Sorry, was it too early.”_

_“No. So what is it?”_

_“Remember about our expenses regarding the new café at Sano? I think we should really hire 2 cooks per branch, so we won’t be ordering our sandwiches and you know -”_

_“I’m fine with that, I can cover the cooking during their off days anyway. Do you really have to ask me that?”_

_“Just confirming, you know. Unlike my best friend, I wouldn’t hire someone without telling you.”_

_“Hmph, are you still mad about that? Rin pestered me about it and Sousuke was, well, he looked like a kicked puppy when he asked for help.”_

_“Haru, seriously?”_

_“Yeah, I wouldn’t budge if I haven’t seen Sousuke like that. Uhm, I think you can say that was cute.”_

_“Uh-huh.”_

_“Anyways, I’ll be expecting four new baristas and four cooks. Good luck with our budget.”_

_“I’ll deal with that, but you need to come up with new line of snacks or something.”_

_“Leave that to me. I’ll be there at lunch time.”_

_“Great! Bye, Haru-chan!”_

_“Remove the ‘chan’. Bye!”_

Makoto snickered when his friend sounded pretty annoyed. He was in the mood to tease his friend a little more, but Haru hang up on him. He returned to his work, wearing his glasses before he began encoding the necessary data. Their sales were definitely soaring for the past few months and some of the customers even ordered a take out after they dined. So, their decision on having a second café was a good calculation since there were clients who, according to Sousuke and Rin’s information, even travelled from Sano just to eat at their place. Ayaka and Ryo would surely be promoted at this rate, so Makoto would have to allot a higher rate for them.

It was already the middle of the day when Makoto finished half of what he was supposed to do. He called some candidates if they could come for their interview earlier than scheduled. A lot of the applicants replied favorably and Makoto had to conduct their evaluation before lunch. He asked Ryo if he can use the farthest table at the café and the barista replied that the said area was hardly used in the morning.

As he waited for the next applicant, he re-examined his resume. This guy was familiar like he’d seen him in a commercial before. He looked at his employment history and his curiosity was answered. The said applicant stopped in front of him and Makoto was somehow awed. His hair was golden and his were amber. His built had an athletic even though it was covered with layers of fabric. He just looked at him for a few second and blinked.

“Good morning,” greeted the applicant.

The brunette shook his head to wake up from his daydream. Surely he was blinded by his golden hair and he was, uhm, attractive. Makoto was not sure why this guy applied in the first place.

“Uhm, Kise-kun, have a seat,” replied the brunette, gesturing the chair across Makoto’s.

“Thank you,” uttered the blonde dude, sitting smoothly. He smirked at the brunette.

“Well, I’ve reviewed your resume and currently, you are with a modeling agency. I believe I’ve seen you in a couple of magazines and commercials, so I wonder about why would you choose to be here,” inquired the owner.

“First, I was dragged by the previous applicant that you have just interviewed,” replied the Kise, his thumb pointing at the tanned guy with dark blue-hair. “Then, I was also informed that some of my friends also applied here. In fact, my projects right now were too limited since my fee got higher. I couldn’t stay idle at home, so I followed suit.”

“So, basically you just followed them and you wish to occupy yourself. Alright, what will you contribute if I hire you,” quizzed Makoto, flipping the next page of the applicant’s resume.

“Sales most likely, I am quite proud of my charisma and public relations. Though, I am lacking when it comes to being a barista, I am a fast learner if trained,” answered Kise, beaming brightly at the brunette.

Makoto was not that strict when it comes to hiring people. As a formality he followed a certain pattern. He asked some scenarios to the blonde and fortunately, he answered it effortlessly and his voiced actions were quite efficient and that was enough to satisfy Makoto’s inquiries.

“One more thing, the only position left would be part-time and it’ll be from seven in the morning and your shift ends at eleven. Plus, there are some cases when you need to extend or to cover for another barista. Will that be alright?” explained Makoto.

“Certainly. I’m good as long as I have something to do, I can just play basketball after my shift,” grinned the new barista.

Makoto smiled, “Well, I sure hope you can keep up. So, if you don’t mind coming back tomorrow around 9 AM, then we’ll have your contract signing tomorrow together with the others.”

“Wow! Thanks,” yelled the blondie, “If you don’t mind, is Aominecchi hired as well?”

“Aominecchi?” repeated Makoto, “Ah! Aomine-kun? Yes, he will have the afternoon shift as a cook.”

“That’s cool! Shiginocchi was right about you, Tachibanacchi,” said Kise. “Oh, I add ‘-cchi’ to the people I acknowledge and respect, if you’re confused about it. But if it’s inappropriate, I’ll try with Tachibana-san.”

“It’s okay, I just have to get used to it. And what about Kisumi, uhm, Shigino Kisumi? How do you know him?” asked the brunette.

“Shiginocchi was a college friend. He told us about this vacancy,” told Kise, standing up from his seat. “Once again, thank you. I’ll definitely work hard and of course, if you need a model to promote this store, I’ll render my services for free!”

“I’ll consider that some time,” replied the brunette, offering a handshake to the new employee.

Kise accepted the offer. Then, he left with the guy named Aomine. Makoto arranged the documents and separated the hired ones. He stared at the figure approaching him, “What?”

“Just asking to take a break, boss,” replied Sousuke, pulling a chair.

Makoto filed the document in an envelope , “Well, you can have your lunch early if you want. We might have a barrage of people after lunch.”

“I don’t like that blonde sparkly dude. Tell me, you didn’t hire him,” told the teal-eyed man.

“I hired him and he also offered free advertising when needed. He’s a model, you know,” answered the olive-haired, pushing his bangs back and removing his glasses.

“You have a thing for attractive baristas, haven’t you,” teased the older man.

“Excuse me, it is athletic attractive baristas. Don’t blame me. Most of the applicants have a face value. Even this girl named Momoi, ” he held up the profile of a girl with light pink hair, “She’s pretty cute.”

Sousuke sucked his cheeks and raised an eyebrow, “Fine, so you’re saying that it was a coincidence. But, I’ll be careful especially with that Goldie, I smell something different from him.”

“Your jealousy has no grounds, Sousuke and we’re not even, you know, in a relationship,” said the younger man. “We are more of flatmates with benefits.”

That statement blew Sousuke’s remaining hope out of the window. He smiled weakly as he stood silently from his place. He didn’t utter anything as he walked towards the backroom.

Makoto watched him, he wanted to take back what he just said, but didn’t. His mouth just blabbered and his original intention was to tease the guy and not hurt him.

“Wow, that was straight to his gut, Makoto,” Rin suddenly appeared from his side, surprising the shit out of the brunette.

“Yeah, I thought so too,” answered Makoto, his eyes glued at the files on the table. “I really don’t know what I just said.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *KnB S3!!!! Kiseeee♥♥*  
> I can't help it. And of course, Kuroko, Kagami, Aomine and Momoi will make an appearance. XD
> 
> Most importantly, I would like everyone to take note that I usually update every week. If it became sporadic, that just means that I was dealing with my 'professional' life. I've done the drafts, but there were some things to be added. XD
> 
> Thank you for reading.


	12. Turn it Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, as always, this is unbeta'ed.  
> Second, I was surprised about Kise's reception from the previous chapter. XD  
> Third, Enjoy! ^_^

Sousuke punched his locker. He was so close and Makoto just clarified that they will be nothing more. He hit his head and kicked the locker, sounds of banging metal echoed throughout the room. He was frustrated and his heart just broke into a thousand pieces.

“I know that you work here without compensation, but you’ll have to pay for that locker if you break it,” uttered the raven-haired as he entered the locker room.

Sousuke sat on a bench, his shoulders slumped downwards. The other man sat on the other side of the bench.

“In my opinion, Makoto didn’t mean that,” Haru started.

“You think so,” replied the other.

“I’ll give you a hint. If Rin did the same thing five years ago, I would not let him back in my life ever,” told Haru, “Makoto’s being lenient. I mean if you don’t mean anything to him, he wouldn’t even bother.”

“He’s just being kind,” replied Sousuke, eyes glued on the floor.

“Well, he’s Iwatobi’s angel,” confirmed the raven-haired. “So, tell me, are you giving up on him? If that’s the case, I wasted my time on you.” Haru stood up and reached for the door, “Makoto deserves another if you’re going down like that.”

Hearing those words from Haru irked Sousuke. He had a week left anyway and if that week passed without any validation from Makoto, he would still pursue afterwards. He wouldn’t let anyone near Makoto and that “Goldie” was purely dangerous. Sousuke grasped the atmosphere between them and it’s inexcusable. Plus, there were a variety of eyes that adored “Goldie.” He hated to admit, but as Makoto said, he was a model. “Grrr,” and Sousuke was doing some dark aura forming gesture with his claws. The sound of opening door roused the athlete and he saw his beloved angel enter.

Makoto beamed at the teal-eyed man as he closed the door behind him, “Espresso? It has two shots. I did promise to make you one.”

Sousuke just approached him with only the sound of his stomping feet. The brunette stepped backward, his back meeting the door. The older man wasn’t that tall compared to Makoto, but he towered over him.

“You,” Sousuke began, “I know I’ve said this once, but I will say it again. Tachibana Makoto, you are cruel.”

Makoto averted his vision from those raging teal eyes, “I know. I think I have that right, but I’m sorry. Rin gave me an earful, you know.”

Sousuke breathed out deeply and pressed his forehead with Makoto’s, “I will accept whatever punishment you give me. My heart is yours to break, but at least give me an insight where we are standing. I’ll be honest with you, I don’t know what path to take after this. Give me some guiding light on this one.”

“Espresso?” Makoto replied, bringing the cup closer to Sousuke’s chin.

The aroma was enticing, but his angel was not answering further, “Don’t change the topic, Makoto!”

“Didn’t you say that you’ll pry my heart open and force me to admit that I-, uhm, to admit those three words, huh? Where did all that confidence go? You’re just not resourceful, Mr. Olympian,” retorted the younger man.

“Tsk, you – ugh!”

The door behind them abruptly opened and Makoto spilled the espresso on Sousuke’s uniform. The brunette panicked and wiped the coffee. Sousuke didn’t mind the attention and the fact that the coffee was too hot, but his temper was on the edge because of an intruder.

“Ah! Who’s there? I’ll just get my lunch,” said Ryo from the outside.

The two moved away from the door and the senior barista entered, grinning at the two, “Boss, please be discreet. Teehee~” he left immediately as soon as he got his lunch box.

“We’re not doing anything,” defended the owner, but no one listened.

“I don’t mind that-”

“It’s not okay,” Makoto massaged his brows, “I forbid you to flirt during working hours!” Makoto declared, pointing his index finger back at the older man.

“Hey, that’s a bit-”

“No complaints!” Makoto yelled, turning the knob open, “And I’ll get you another uniform, but you’ll have to wash it. And, uhm, another espresso too.”

“Yes,” Sousuke replied, sneering at Makoto, “Boss.”

* * *

Hours had passed and it was time to for Makoto to hand over all his work to Haru. He only left a couple of papers to be signed since he knew that his best friend was still busy preparing for his wedding. Makoto was asked to pick-up his suit at a tailor shop on Monday, as Haru wouldn’t be able to come with him.

“I heard you hired a couple of attractive men,” Haru commented, examining the pages of all the newly hired employees for their next shop.

“Hey, they were qualified and I wasn’t looking on physical appearance,” replied the co-owner. “I did my best on having a fair judgment.”

“Yes, I know,” uttered the raven-haired, “Kisumi sent me a message that he recommended some people to apply. I guessed they were hired.”

“Honestly, I only knew when Kise-kun told me,” said the brunette.

“Well, I never doubted your verdict. This ‘Kise-kun’ is that golden-haired guy, right? Sousuke was shooting him lasers with his eyes while the two of you were talking” answered the best friend, snorting at the scene he saw. “By the way, Makoto, can you visit the shop after this. I was informed by the contractor that everything was in place.”

Makoto fixed his things, “Don’t worry, I was planning the same thing. I got the same info from our contact.”

“Great,” said Haru while searching for a file in his computer, “I’ll take it from here. Good work today.”

“Yep, I’ll see you tomorrow, Haru. Call me if there’s a problem,” replied the olive-haired and left the office.

As Makoto went out, Sousuke was leaning on a wall, waiting for him. “Are you going home?”

“I have an official business. Would you mind accompanying me?” requested the manager.

They left the establishment and walked towards the station for minutes. As they waited for the train to arrive, Sousuke asked if Makoto would prefer to have dinner outside. The brunette was not in the mood for a date or anything, but he somehow accepted since it would save him the hassle of cooking. Twenty minutes later, they have reached a store with two floors.

“This is nice,” commented the teal-eyed man.

Makoto looked at the exterior design, their contractor did a great job, “Yes, it looks good.”

“I’m glad you liked it, Makoto-senpai,” uttered a woman from behind the two.

The brunette turned around and greeted the familiar figure, “Gou, this was fantastic!”

“Gou is your contractor?” muttered the older man.

“Correction Sousuke-kun, I am the architect and designer of their shops. I have a lot of contacts and supervise the contractor myself!” replied the red-haired girl, proudly stating her accomplishment. “Café Classique two point O is my greatest achievement in Iwatobi so far! Of course, I have boutique hotels in Metropolitan Tokyo, but that’s a different story.” She pulled the duo inside the shop, “Come on, senpai, you have to see this!”

The two followed the trigger-happy lady and Makoto was awed. The design clearly followed their aesthetic. The wooden structure gave it an elegant finish. Gou gestured at the counter and touched tit smoothly, “Makoto-senpai, look! This is mahogany!”

“Mahogany?” Makoto uttered, his brow furrowing at the word, “Gou, isn’t that quote costly? I don’t think we can-”

“Do not worry senpai, I’ve taken care of it!” replied Gou gleefully, “I’ve got these furniture with a great discount of 95 percent!” She spread her arms, obviously proud of her magnificent work. “Well, let’s go upstairs. There’s a lot to see.”

Makoto and Sousuke navigated the store and reached for the stairs. The sun rays from outside lighted through the windows. Makoto noted that this design was economic for them. Gou continued to show the rest of the shop for the next couple of minutes.

“So, are you satisfied with it?” asked the redhead, her eyes sparkling brightly.

“Gou, I love it. This is the best!” Makoto answered honestly. They were lucky to have their previous manager take care of the shop’s construction. She knew what she was doing and the results were far beyond what they have requested.

“Oh, I forgot the backroom!” screeched Gou, “it is downstairs. Oh!” her cellphone vibrated as it rang, “I’ve got to take this. Feel free to explore the backroom!” and she ran at the out the balcony area to answer.

Makoto looked at the older man, “Well?”

“Let’s go,” replied Sousuke sauntering down the stairs.

The two went down and searched for the backroom. Makoto asked Gou to design it simply since the customers will not see it anyway. Unlike the classic design, the backroom was the opposite and it had a modern feel. Makoto found the corridor leading to their office and as always there are prominent desks especially for the owners and another one for their branch manager.

“Who will be assigned here?” asked Sousuke, leaning on a side table.

Makoto approached his table and sat on a chair, “Ryo’s house was nearer and we planned on giving the position as soon as this shop opens. Ayaka will graduate soon and I’ve talked to her if she’s interested on taking care of the first café. Gladly, she agreed.”

“Hmm,” uttered the older man, strolling towards the brunette’s table.

Makoto was admiring his desk, grinning at the textured feel of the furniture. He was so occupied that he was unaware of the man beside him who turned his armchair into Sousuke’s direction. Makoto looked up and met emanating dark aura from those teal eyes. “Uhm, Sousuke?”

“Surely, you apologized a while ago, but there are still lingering broken pieces, Makoto,” told the older man, his hands planted firmly on the chair’s armrest.

Makoto smile faintly, “I made espresso?”

“That was the upfront cost. I’m asking for the interest,” declared Sousuke, smirking in the process. He lowered his face to meet the brunette’s, but Makoto turned away.

“Uhm, Sousuke, does it really have to be here?” he asked weakly, “Gou will, uhm, ahhh…” Makoto couldn’t utter another word as the older man nibbled his exposed neck. Honestly, Makoto loved the sensation and it was one of his ‘weaknesses,’ but this type of pleasure was not supposed to be done here, especially not in this office. He opened his eyes and tried to push the older man away, “We are not, oh my, ahhh, fucking here. Please, Sousuke, oooh, another place, oh god!”

The teal-eyed man ceased his actions, “Huh? Of course, we are not fucking here.”

Makoto blushed in deep red upon hearing Sousuke’s words. He covered his face with both hands in shame. He was too obvious and Sousuke caught that up. Of course, the other was not dumb to interpret it otherwise.

Inside Sousuke’s head was plain victory, he breathed out and teased the pinkish ears of the younger man, “I’m reserving that on a bed. I prefer comfort rather than this table, but if you want it badly, I would have to comply.”

The man with the olive hair flinched at the echoing deep voice. He was a mess and didn’t know if it was a good or bad mess. He just felt overwhelmed, “G-Gou will -”

Sousuke pressed his lips, nipping at his lower lip before trailing peppered kisses down to his neck once more. He knelt in front of his angel, resting in the middle of Makoto’s almost spread legs. He massaged the younger man’s thigh, feeling the warm clothed flesh. He smirked at Makoto’s gasp who was somehow peering behind his fingers. “No?”

Makoto did not respond.

The older man took that as a ‘yes’, so he forced his way nearer, grinning at Makoto’s obvious bulge, “I just kissed you and-“

“Shut up,” scolded the brunette. “I am not d-”

Sousuke snickered. He continued and squeezed Makoto’s erection with his mouth, snorting as he heard the other one panted. He wanted Makoto to beg, but maybe he’ll save it for next time. He reached for the zipper and pulled it downwards. His hand dragged the pants and underwear down; at least Makoto conformed silently as he kicked his clothes out of the way. The older man palmed the hardened length, kissing Makoto’s inner thigh.

The younger man covered his face, eyes shutting away from the visual. He can’t just watch his ex-boyfriend suck on him that easily, but the pleasure surged once Sousuke’s tongue lapped at his cockhead. It was a mistake on Makoto’s side to close his eyes. The sensation was far greater. He concluded to open it, but as soon as he did it, he was welcomed by annoying arrogant teal eyes. And that man just engulfed his dick fully inside his mouth, bobbing up and down in a fanatical pace. Makoto dug his nails onto the armrest, preventing his hips to fuck Sousuke’s mouth, “Hnfff…uh…hmmm, oh…” He continued to puff unnecessary wails as he squirmed in his seat, coiling an immense feeling in his gut.

Sousuke taunted the younger man by letting go of Makoto’s dick with a plop. He winked at the other as he licked up from the base, swirling his appendage at the leaking slit. He gave it a teasing kiss while his free hand gave the shaft a tight grasp.

“You…” Makoto remarked, his desire was being tested and he will not give this man the benefit of an easy victory.

“It’ll be simpler if you just say it,” told the older man, “Come on.” He teased the head once more, tasting the precum from it.

Makoto remained silent as he felt the hold constrict his dick even more. He panted harshly as he covered his face with both hands one more time, “L-let m-me cum, S-Sousuke…”

A triumphant grin outlined Sousuke as he loosely held Makoto’s erection. He pumped the length with an incredible speed and while after, spurts of white fluid was released. He cleaned the translucent liquid with his tongue and kissed Makoto’s balls. Sousuke let his other hand knead the younger man’s hip and he rested on his lap. He gazed up at the brunette.

Makoto tried to catch his breath as his whole body trembled. He hadn’t reached his peak like in the past years and he almost forgot about it. He didn’t dare to stare down as he can feel Sousuke’s cheek on his thigh. He knew well what expression would be plastered on his face.

He wanted to slap that shitty grin out of Sousuke’s look, but in this round, Makoto lost.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so I'm not really good at writing the smut genre so forgive me. XD  
> Otherwise, thank you for reading. 
> 
> *I just had the inspiration to write today, but I'm not sure if I can update next week. T___T I'll do my best.*


	13. Love Fool

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for not updating last week. My mind was somewhere else and I couldn't really write anything.  
> As always, this one is unbeta'ed and I whipped this chapter in a few hours [while alternating with KnB S3]  
> Enjoy!

After that so-called intimate moment, Makoto resigned to his doom. At least Sousuke had the decency to clean him and not dawdle on his hip for a little longer. The younger man hated Sousuke right now, but he did enjoy the attention, right? Finally regaining his lost strength, dignity and clothes, he stood up and stared at his desk for a while. His poor desk was tarnished even before he could use it for business matters. Heaving a sigh, the olive-haired stomped towards the door and as he reached for the knob, he realized that it was partly open. He felt a thrill down his spine and gulped. He pulled the door and there, their red-haired designer squeaked, her pinkish cheek was too obvious. Makoto had the need to inhale all the oxygen he could get before smiling faintly at Gou.

“I’ll go first, Gou. Thanks for your hard work,” he uttered and hastily rushed out of the shop.

Gou answered with a deep blush on her cheeks, “You’re w-welcome, senpai!”

Sousuke yawned as he went out of the room. He looked at the flustered girl looking at the hallway where Makoto just stormed out, “So?”

Gou yelped, “Huh? What is it, Sousuke-kun? I didn’t see anything, promise!”

The older man smirked at Gou, “Heh, lying little redhead.”

“I, uhm, well, I thought,” the redhead looked down, her cheeks still in pink tinge, “you guys were, uhm, just looking, so-so I opened the door and well, you know.”

Sousuke laughed and patted the lady’s red hair, “It’s fine, Gou.”

Gou looked back the teal-eyed man with wide eyes, “Sousuke-kun, how can you say it is fine when I practically peeped into to your porno?”

“There’s nothing pornographic about it. It was our little game and I was victorious,” Sousuke snorted, “So how did you find it?”

The red-haired girl was not in the position to lie, so she showed her two thumbs up to the older man. She peered at the man and as expected, Sousuke was grinning like he had all the chocolate in the world.

“Glad to hear it. I bet my skills are still good,” Sousuke snickered, mildly slapping Gou’s back. “Anyways, I should be going.” He walked out of the corridor in search of his olive-haired companion.

“Wait, Sousuke-kun,” Gou called out, almost running after the older man.

“Hmm, what is it?” quizzed Sousuke, his eyes still gazing at the nice combination of yellow and brown colors in the café.

“Nagisa and I were planning to have a pre-celebratory opening next Friday around eight in the evening. Please tell Makoto-senpai about it. We wanted everyone to be here, so I hope senpai can contact the new employees if possible,” explained the redhead.

“New ones, huh?” Sousuke’s eyebrow quirked, and a vein on his temple was popping out, “That means ‘Goldie’ is invited at the party as well.”

“Eh? ‘Goldie’?” Gou was lost at what the older man just uttered.

Sousuke smiled at the younger woman, “Nothing. I’ll inform Makoto about this. It’s getting dark. Will someone pick you up?” The girl nodded and Sousuke waved his hand and exited the shop, “I’ve got to go, take care of this shop for a while!”

Gou waved back, “I’ll just have to lock up and wait for Sei anyway!”

As the older man goes out of the shop, he searched for Makoto, however, the younger man was not in field of vision. “Don’t tell me he ditched me?” he thought.

* * *

Makoto waited for the older man for a mere ten seconds. Since it took him longer than that and Makoto was feeling uncomfortable, he hailed a taxi when he saw one and left Sousuke at the shop. “He has a spare key anyway,” told the brunette. A few minutes had gone and while riding the vehicle, his phone started ringing. The olive-haired man looked at the caller and as expected, the caller was Sousuke. He pressed the end button and just looked outside the window.

Twenty minutes later, Makoto arrived at his apartment. He quickly went straight to the bathroom and removed all his clothing. He stepped into the shower and let the cold water drizzle down his body. He needed the ice cold feel to remove all the electricity he felt back at the shop. It was embarrassing especially when he knew that the younger redhead manager was able to hear and watch it. “Ack!” he slammed the tiles with his fist as he almost banged his head when the shower door opened.

“I am sure if you forgot to lock the bathroom door or you’re inviting me to shower with you,” Sousuke said, stepping inside the shower with all his clothes on, his wet shirt outlined his nicely built form.

Makoto squeaked and turned around as he was manhandled to the wall by the older man. He frowned at the sight of those cocky teal eyes. “You’ve invited yourself enough, so get out!”

“I am not backing down after seeing you like this. I only have a few days, you know,” said the older man, leaning closer to Makoto.

Makoto knew it was no use, but he crossed his arms as if he was protecting himself from the predator in front of him. “Out!” he barked, but the other did not flinch an inch as he made his way towards the other’s lips. Before Sousuke can press his lip onto the other, Makoto’s palm blocked the way and plastered it onto the older man’s face as he rolled his eyes, “Not tonight Sousuke.”

“Tsk,” complained the teal-eyed man, “I guess I can’t push my luck further. “ Sousuke stepped back and left the shower. “Hurry up, I want to shower too.”

* * *

Sousuke yawned as he walked out of the shower in their training facility. He was worried as hell. Why? Makoto was back to square one like two months ago. The brunette was not talking to him even though they share the same bed. Sousuke thought that Makoto was flustered from what he did in the second café’s backroom, but he didn’t consider that the younger would not talk to him days after that. He wouldn’t mind, but tomorrow’s his deadline. He needed to force it out of Makoto tonight or at least hours before the said time. He heaved a sigh and slumped on the couch nearby. He watched the olive-haired cook their breakfast, appreciating the nice domestic atmosphere.

By the time Makoto finished preparing the table, the older dozed off. The brunette came closer and sat at the armrest. He wanted to caress the other’s forehead gently, but instead, he flicked his finger, waking Sousuke from his shallow slumber, “If you’re going to sleep, then do it properly and go back to bed.”

The older man groaned and stretched out his limbs, “Coffee will be enough.”

“I already made yours black, get up or else,” replied the younger man, walking back to the dining table.

“I thought you’re not talking to me,” told the older man.

Makoto stopped and answered, “I-uhm-I was busy with regards to the second branch and the new employees. You were exhausted after training, so I didn’t bother you.”

“Is that true?” quizzed the teal-eyed man, rising from the couch and sauntered to the table lazily.

“Why do you ask?” inquired the brunette, sipping a cup of latte.

“Just making sure that I didn’t piss you off or something,” said the older man.

“Half of me was pissed off to be honest,” told the younger man. Makoto was confused if he wanted something more not. He scratched the back of his as he searched for an answer. As always, he wouldn’t be able to deduce a conclusion right away. The man in front of him gives him mixed feelings about everything. He breathed out slowly, “We’ll open the store after lunch tomorrow, so I guess you can get some sleep tonight.”

“That’s reassuring,” answered the teal-eyed man.

* * *

“What the hell is ‘Goldie’ doing here?” gawked the older man as he saw the blonde guy pop up in front of the brunette as he greeted him.

“We’ll be opening the shop next Monday, so they have to be trained well,” replied the younger man. “Go and change at the backroom already!”

“Yeah. Yeah,” said Sousuke as he eyed the splurge of people who are in the same outfit as Ryo. “This is going to be a long day,” he commented.

That day didn’t seem as long as he thought it would. At lunch time, there were a flock of people who came in and monopolized a side of the shop. Some people were already familiar as they were regulars. Goldie and the pink-haired girl took care of that group so Sousuke just occupied himself with the other regulars. Rin also came in earlier with Haru since they would be closing the café early for Gou’s party.

“Sousuke, please let the clients taste this one,” Makoto called out as he handed a plate with small cubed sandwiches.

“Free taste?” asked the older man.

“Yep. Kagami-kun and Aomine-kun just whipped up new sandwiches and I thought I should get the reception immediately with this method,” explained the brunette, beaming at Sousuke unusually. “Momoi-chan told me that Aomine-kun’s palate is really great! And of course, Kagami-kun majored in culinary arts”

“You seemed like a doting parent and you’re sparklier than usual,” remarked Sousuke, taking the plate and placing it on a tray.

“Huh?” said the younger man, tilting his head to the right as he didn’t get what the other meant.

“Nothing,” uttered Sousuke.

He approached some people at the shop and presented the mini sandwich. People were delighted at the taste and even asked if it will be offered soon. Makoto entertained the queries and Sousuke went off towards the group at the far right side of the shop. Kise offered to help since he already finished his four-hour duty, but the other declined and he just continued what he was tasked to do.

Their shift ended at three in the afternoon and Makoto told him to go home first because he still has more documents to accomplish. Sousuke wanted to refuse and ask for an extension, but he received a message from Gou who was asking if he could help out. As the young girl was like his little sister already, he accepted to help and notified the manager that he would be leaving. As he was about to leave the shop, Rin pulled him at somewhere.

“What you’re deal now, bishoujo Rin?” yelled the teal-eyed man.

“Stop calling me that, emo Sousuke,” retorted the redhaead, grinning at his best friend, “So any plans for tonight, lover boy? I believe your time is running out?”

“I- uh, hmmm I’m still thinking and I’ll be helping your little sister, so -”

“Leave it to me!” the redhead flashed his shark-like teeth and patted his friend’s shoulder.

Sousuke smiled weakly. He knew that whatever it is that he planned would be ridiculous. Well, he couldn’t complain at his situation now. A little help would suffice and Makoto was right, he was not being resourceful as he wasted so much time.

“Sousuke, don’t forget to buy emergency supplies later,” Rin nudged his elbow suggestively.

“What supplies?” inquired the teal-eyed man.

Rin palmed his face, “Jeez, this is why I am worried about you. Are you even serious?”

Sousuke sighed at his ‘brain loading mode’ and answered his best buddy, “I am serious and I don’t think forcing him to do that will make him confess.”

“But it’ll spark something for sure,” informed Rin, winking at the taller man, “So leave it to me and Haru. We’ll make sure your Christmas will be so lovey-dovey!”

“I must be in a dire situation if Nanase’s in this one too,” commented the other, brushing his hair back.

“Haru mentioned it first, to be honest and we just made the scenario out of a whim,” informed Rin, his index finger pointing up ‘as a matter of fact’ pose.

The teal-eyed man massaged his temples, “Now I don’t know if I should be relieved that you’ll be helping or not.”

Rin beamed wider. Sousuke just sighed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just hope that my "professional" life would go smoothly so I can be back on a roll. Teehee♥  
> Well, I also realized that I have been mentioning KnB characters so vividly. I would have to blame Season for that.  
> And I believe I would have an 'AoKise' on my next fic. [yes, you can count the remaining chapters in one hand.♥]


	14. Baby Can I Hold You?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One, this is Unbeta'ed [I'm seriously sleepy]  
> Two, enjoy!  
> Three, I felt that it lacked some details, but my neurons aren't functioning now.

Sousuke was spacing out the whole time he traveled to the other shop. He kept on bumping onto a post and even traversed the street while the vehicles were moving. He was still alive thanks to a kind soul who pulled him back. He entered the café and was greeted by Gou who immediately pushed him towards a door that he never visited before. The door lead to garden with several tables arranged in a certain pattern. There was a fountain at the other side of the garden that made Sousuke quite anxious. He’d seen it many times when they were in high school. If not for Rin, Sousuke would have concluded that Nanase had an affair with water. He remembered Makoto telling him that he and Nagisa conducted an experiment regarding Haru’s sudden stripping and it made the older man shake his head and wonder about the cause for several days. Makoto ended up distracting him.

The wind blew and it was quite cold. Sousuke was used to it anyway since the temperature gradually drops as winter comes. It’ll be snowing in a few weeks or so and the teal-eyed man was worried about the tables protected by a huge garden canopy. He thought that this part of the café will not be of use once it snows heavily.

“Ah! Yamazaki-san, you’re here to help too?” uttered a voice behind Sousuke that he wished he never heard.

He turned around and greeted the sparkling blondie who interrupted his thoughts, “Yo, Kise! I thought you went home already?”

“Well, Tachibanacchi texted me and asked if I could assist Gou-san here,” he beamed at the redhead with his sparkly whites. “How about you?”

“Gou asked me to help,” replied the older man plainly. Sousuke shrugged off the chit chat and approached the redhead on what was needed to be done.

The ingredients for the food were not yet bought. Rei and Nagisa were already in charge of the decorations. Kuroko who was specially assigned here today instead of working in the shop was also helping with the decorations. In the end, Sousuke was appointed with the grocery together with “Goldie,” much to the other man’s dismay.

Sousuke went out in haste as he told the other one that he didn’t need help. Kise followed anyway, but his face fell flat on the pavement when Gou rushed to Sousuke, knocking out the blondie. Who would’ve thought that this hundred and eighty plus plus centimeter guy could be knocked over by a hundred and sixty centimeter girl.

“Wait, Sousuke-kun,” called the redhead.

The teal-eyed man stopped, “What is it, Gou?”

The café designer handed out a piece of paper as she caught her breath, “Onii-chan instructed me to give this.”

The older man looked at the note and crumpled it as he placed it inside his pocket, “Thanks Gou.” He continued to saunter the street to the direction of the supermarket.

“Nah, Yamazaki-san,” muttered someone from behind.

Sousuke freaked out as he imagined a ghost. Well, not really a ghost, but he thought he left “Goldie” behind. “Tsk, what now Kise?”

“For some reason I feel like I am targeted for murder,” told the younger man, “maybe it’s because of my good looks.”

Sousuke rolled his eyes. He didn’t need Kise’s narcissism at the moment.

“Or maybe someone is jealous of me because I’m getting closer with Tachibanacchi,” added the model.

The older man ceased walking, “Are you picking a fight Kise?”

The model grinned, “Nope, I’m just stating the obvious. I don’t want to mess up my pretty face, I have photoshoot on Sunday.”

The older man ignored him and went inside the grocery, choosing a cart for his items. Half an hour after, their chore was completed and as he was paying, he saw a box of latex protection at the counter. His eyes moved from one side to another, looking for Kise. When he saw no one, he added the small box in his cart and paid for it. He smiled at the lady who was packing the items as he pocketed the box when she offered to put in a bag.

Now that he finished his shopping, he has to go back to the shop and help whoever was assigned in the kitchen. However, before he could do that, he had to search for a certain sparkly dude who had vanished once they searched for different ingredients.

“Where’s that golden boy?” thought the older man as he looked at the entrance.

“Oi! Yamazaki-san, wait for me!” yelled the younger man, running after Sousuke as the other went for the exit.

“Where were you?” bawled the teal-eyed man.

“Oh, were you worried about me?” quizzed Kise, grinning at Sousuke.

“Tsk, let’s go,” ordered the older man.

Hours later, most of the invited people arrived. Haru and Rin arrived together. The redhead grinned mischievously at Sousuke as the older man shook his head. He sighed at his plan and he only believed him half-heartedly. Whatever the plan that was mashed up by these two will be ludicrous. Teal eyes wandered at the spot where everybody entered and not a single hint of Makoto.

“Where could he be?” he wondered, reaching the inside of his pocket for his mobile phone.

“Makoto forgot his phone in the shop, so he asked us to go ahead,” Haru suddenly muttered.

_What’s with people creeping up on me today?_ “Is that so?” he replied coolly.

Rin placed an arm around his best friend and pulled him closer, “We have time to prepare.” He turned his gaze to Haru, “Nagisa’s busy, so I think we’ll ask Kise about this.”

“Oi! What this plan got to-”

“Bakasuke! It’s a cocktail, dude! I’m not as like skilled as Nagisa when it comes to weird concoctions, but Kise might do since he part-timed as a bartender too,” retorted the redhead.

“Alcohol? Everybody knows that Makoto’s a machine. He’s not going to get drunk easily,” told the teal-eyed man.

Haru interrupted, “But this one is special, and are you sure that you want to have sex with him while he’s drunk?”

“I’m not following this one, Nanase” said Sousuke, crossing his arms. He remembered their first accidental night in college.

“You tell him, Rin,” Haru insisted, bumping shoulders with his boyfriend.

“Well, don’t be mad, dude, this was way back in high school and we were second years. You were not yet in Iwatobi,” started the redhead.

“Just get on with it,” demanded the taller man, his brows were meeting.

“Well, Haru’s not my first kiss and -”

“I don’t need to kn-”

“You’re not Makoto’s too, but I don’t think he remembers though. It was all part of a game,” blurted out the redhead, his scarlet eyes wandered as to escape Sousuke’s gaze.

_Wow, my first love and my true love got to kiss each other first. Great…_ “You’re point?”

Rin scratched the back of his neck, “Well, we knew that Makoto can’t be influenced by alcohol and that he loved sweet things, so we decided to drink cocktails instead of a beer while we were playing some game back then. Since the alcohol content of the drinks was so low, none of us got cracked or something. Then, Nagisa whipped another drink and forced Makoto to drink it. Well, he, uhm, you can imagine what happened next. He was so…”

“To make this short, that drink got him horny and made out with Rin for several minutes,” Haru completed the story. “To be honest, it was hot and I’d pay a grand to see that again.”

“I’m not allowing it,” declared the teal-eyed man.

“Win him first before you get too possessive of him,” uttered the raven-haired. “Anyways, I’ll ask Kise about this pomegranate drink first. You guys enjoy yourself first.”

The two were left at a corner. There was small program hosted by Gou and Nagisa. Haru was mandated to have a short speech since Makoto was not yet around. The raven-haired stood in front of the crowd with his bored expression, but was saved when an angel came in the form of Tachibana Makoto. The brunette thanked everyone who attended and even added that he looked forward to the newbies who would take care of this new café. After his sweet address, he excused himself and talked to some people.

“Hey, before all this ends, I‘ll apologize for being dense, Sousuke,” uttered the redhead.

Sousuke got confused by the sudden apology, “Ah yeah, you were stupid and all your attention was only for Nanase. But, it’s all good. That angel salvaged me anyway.”

“You used me as a scapegoat somehow,” joked the redhead.

“Yeah, I think I should be sorry about that,” replied the other.

The best friends laughed together until Haru called Rin’s attention and Kise delivered a cocktail glass with reddish liquid and garnished with rose buds. He was handed another glass with a different drink.

“Who are you using it to?” inquired the model, looking at the brunette, “Nah, I think I have an idea. Good luck with that.”

As soon as Makoto approached him, he offered the mysterious drink. The olive-haired commented that the taste was familiar and that he liked the drink. Sousuke wondered if he should ask for another, then he caught a glimpse of Rin’s devilish smirk as the redhead whispered something to “Goldie.” Kise served another round with Sousuke’s rum and coke Makoto’s pretty scarlet drink.

“Do you want some more snacks?” asked the older man. “Are you okay, Makoto?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just a bit humid and temperate for winter,” Makoto answered, his chest heaving for some reason, “Will you get me something sweet and another glass of this drink?”

Sousuke was torn to give to let his ex another glass of that drink, “I’ll get you a slice of butter cake, but I’ll get you a glass of ice water instead.”

Makoto glared at the older man, “I’m not going to get drunk on a cute cocktail with pretty petals, Sousuke.”

“But-”

“Tsk, I think I’ll ask Kise to make me one,” the brunette stood up, but was pushed back on his seat by Sousuke.

“Jeez, you’re a queen sometimes, you know that. I’ll get you one, so just stay there,” told the teal-eyed man.

Makoto watched the older man walk away and for some reason, he had the urge to tackle him down the floor. He was sweating hard for no reason. Was he sick? No, he had his annual medical a week ago and his physician said that he was entirely healthy. But, all of his sensations were heightened, especially when Sousuke pushed him a while ago. He wanted more. “What the hell am I thinking?” realized the brunette, slapping his cheeks to wake himself up.

Another hour had past and Makoto drank more glasses than he intended. He was approached by different people and he entertained them, but he wanted to go home. It was already late anyway and he can just excuse himself and lie that he was not feeling well. However, he doubted that that Haru would believe such a lie.

Sousuke noticed the brunette’s need to leave, so he tapped his shoulder as he whispered, “Want to go home.”

The air coming from the older man startled and electrified Makoto, “Huh? Oh, uhm, well, if it’s alright. Then, I think we should retire for the night.”

“I inform the others,” replied the older man.

Makoto booked a cab through his phone and waited for the teal-eyed man to exit the shop. As the cab arrived, Sousuke also came out. The brunette entered the taxi first, then followed by the other. They rode the vehicle for a few minutes without exchanging any words. The moment when they reached the front of the apartment, Makoto rushed inside the shower. He was feeling hot indeed. He knew that there was some alcohol in that red drink, but it was negligible. He shouldn’t be so disturbed about it. He masturbated while showering, thinking of one man. He did find his climax, but it wasn’t enough. He wanted the real thing. He banged his head on the tiled wall and regretted it once the pain came in. He peered through the door, looking for signs of Sousuke as he ran on tipped-toes towards his room.

Sousuke, on the other hand, came out from the guest room since he took some change of clothes. He knew that Makoto has finished since he heard thud sound from the main room. He opted for a quick one since he was feeling little bit tired. His goal of scoring for the night was slipping away. He knew he should’ve been more aggressive and he wasted a lot of time. He labored a deep breath as exited the bathroom, fully clothed. The teal-eyed man entered the room and saw the brunette sitting on the edge of the bed, with only a towel wrapped around his waist.

“I thought you’re already set up for sleep,” uttered Sousuke, closing the door behind him.

Makoto rose from his place and the towel slipped from its place, “I want you.”

Sousuke gulped at the spoken words. Was he dreaming? Does he need to slap himself? Is he being “punked” at moment? He was so in denial that he didn’t manage to detect Makoto’s arms wrapping around him and lips nipping his neck. “Whoa! Wait…” Accepting the reality that Makoto was indeed seducing him, he panicked when he remembered about a little box in his jeans, “I have to get something.”

“If you mean this one, then I’ve taken it while you were showering,” Makoto tapped a box of condoms on Sousuke’s forehead. “Do we really need to use this?”

“Just to be safe,” answered the other.

“I’m clean you know,” told the brunette, burying his face out of embarrassment, “You were the only one anyway.”

Sousuke didn’t say anything else. He was delighted to hear that from Makoto himself. He has a chance. He won’t blow it this time. He lifted the younger man’s face and kissed his lips softly like it was the most delicate lips in the world. His hands caressed the skin that was bluntly offered to him, thanking all the gods for this gift. To reward him further, the brunette was moaning deliciously as he kissed and was music to his ears.

Makoto backed away for a little air and he pulled Sousuke by his pajama top towards the bed. When both landed on the soft mattress, the olive-haired man informed Sousuke, “I prepped myself already, all you have to do is to fuck me as hard as I want you to.”

The older man hastily shed all of his clothing, his dick already stirred to life. Makoto placed the condom using his mouth, kissing the tip as he finished. Then, he went on all fours, presenting his lubed hole to the other.

Sousuke inserted his fingers first, fucking the younger man with his digits. He just wanted to slam his cock as soon as possible, but he never wanted to hurt the other man.

Makoto groaned as he was fingered and complained, “I said I’m good to go. Just put your damn cock inside my or I swear- ah!”

The teal-eyed man pushed his length hard through Makoto’s butthole right through the hilt, placing his hands on the other’s hips as he started pounding on a demanded pace, “Just , ugh, making sure.”

Sousuke wanted to worship this angel’s body, but he was obliged to fulfill whatever ultimatum Makoto has given. He would do so next time. He thrusted his cock more and more just to satisfy his craving to hear Makoto’s exquisite moans.

He mewled softly, “Ah, Sou, harder…just more…” The olive-haired thought that he had forgotten about being filled. He had never had anyone besides Sousuke. No one. “Ah! Oh…” he thrashed as he felt his knees gone languid. He surrendered as he felt a familiar tingling pleasure in between his thighs. He knew he was close as Sousuke’s other hand kept stroking him as he pound him, abusing his hole to its limits.

They both reached their peak at the same time and Makoto laid on his back and not bothering to clean up. His energy was exhausted. His eyes were voluntarily closing. He would need his sleep. Fuck these stained sheets.

Sousuke crawled between the younger man’s legs and made himself confortable as his head rested on Makoto’s chest. He whispered, “I love you,” hoping that Makoto would reply. However, he heard none.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About that drink, it was only claimed by some people. XD  
> Four more to go with an intermission for the next chapter.   
> Good night. *yawns*


	15. [Intermission] Blurry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is Makoto's POV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish I am Koro-sensei so I can type at Mach 20 speed and multitask at the same time.  
> But alas, I can't and I can get sidetracked easily.  
> As always, this is unbeta'ed and I'm really sleepy. -_-  
> Sorry for not updating for almost 3 weeks. [Holidays, interviews, author's block, etc]  
> Enjoy???

It felt nostalgic. I knew this warmth very well. I thought I’ve lost this before. How could it be back? Why does it feel too comfortable?

I opened my opened eyes as I perceived someone’s lips on my forehead. I didn’t have to guess on who it was. Of course, it was him. Tsk. He’s being too close again. It’s not that I’m against it, but he was being too intimate. I don’t think I’m really in the mood for that right now. All I want is to sleep.

“Good morning, angel” he said, his eyes glittered like something good happened.

“’Hmmm,” I replied lazily, I wanted to sleep in today and not go to work. It’s a Saturday anyway. I think Ryo can handle it. He’ll be managing the other store on Monday anyway.

“Get up. I made breakfast,” Sousuke pressed his lips on my forehead again. Jeez, he was getting used to this.

I shoved his face and tried to get back my lost sleep. I feel tired, but not awful. It was somehow refreshing. I reluctantly opened my eyes and met his teal his eyes. It was warm; that look on his face like he was staring at the most precious thing before him. I shouldn’t be swayed by his eyes. He gets what he wants whenever he does this. I’m not letting him have it this time.

Damn it! I know I shouldn’t do it, but I just pulled him closer when he was about to stand. Leave it to my unconscious desires. Well done, Makoto, well done.

He smelled like peppermint. It’s his signature scent, it never changed. I inhaled deeply while my fingers play with his tresses.

“I can get used to this,” he muttered, chuckling a little.

That vocal tone somewhat irritated me, so I pinch a bit of his nape. He winced and I was satisfied with it.

“What did I do now?” he asked, massaging his nape. He sat on the edge of the bed, still gazing at me. “You getting up? It’s sad to eat alone, you know.”

I’m used to it. That’s what I wanted to answer, but I didn’t. Instead, I got up and felt a pang on my lower back. I knew I made a contorted expression, as the other looked worried. The blanket that was covering me slid and I realized one thing: I was naked, not half naked, but fully naked. I heaved a sigh while connecting every dot from what happened at the party. All I can recall was drinking a glittery red drink with butter cake. Whatever preceded that scene was out of the window. If I can remember correctly, that drink was almost the same as Nagisa’s concoction back in high school; that one drink that can erase any memory of the previous night. My eyes glanced at Sousuke and I covered my face with both hands. How can I be so stupid to drink that again? What did I do last night? I don’t remember any of it! So embarrassing! Forget about asking what I did, I most likely knew what transpired. The question would be, why did I do it?

“From the looks of it, I concur that you don’t recollect what happened last night,” said Sousuke, and he was obviously disappointed about it. “Well, I can’t do anything about it. It’s not like we can do it again,” He stood up and walked towards the door. “Breakfast is ready. I’ll wait outside.”

Was it my fault now? “Wa-wait Sou-”

“You’re really cruel, Makoto,” he uttered and closed the door.

I hastily stood up, ignoring the pang on my fucking back. I almost tumbled when I stepped on my blanket. I’m supposed to be mad here. He took advantage of me last night! “That’s it! I was drunk. There’s no way I could’ve consented if I’m sober,” I strode to my closet, but my damned blanket enveloped around my left foot. Of course, I fell on the floor distressingly. If I could make out with the floor, I would have done so. This is definitely a disconcerting event. I gathered all my might to continue towards my closet. Before I grabbed my underwear, I checked my body out. It seemed I was cleaned thoroughly while asleep. “Damn,” I uttered as I searched for casual clothes.

I almost ran out of the room, but I paced slower as I got out. On my way to the pantry, I noticed a couple of luggage outside the guest room. The deal was supposed to be the other way around. I thought of the exact date. I smacked my forehead as I recollected that the last day would be today. I was so sidetracked, I overlooked the end date. I haven’t tried to find any place.

I pulled a chair from my usual spot and as I sat, I frowned about upon what was served. The meal served was not dreadful, but it was rather immaculate. The rolled eggs were yellow as the sun and they seemed to glow. The rice was fluffy white as clouds. The side vegetables were colorful and the meat was golden-fried. I exhaled profoundly at the sight.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, handing me a cup of coffee.

“I envy your food presentation skills or rather your culinary skills,” I replied, accepting the cup and placed it on a side.

“I can say it developed over time,” he answered smugly.

I wanted to retort, but there was no comeback line that entered my neurons. I reached for the chopsticks instead and expressed thanks for the food.

It was silent the entire time. There were only the sounds of utensils and ceramics. It was awkward and there was nothing to talk about as well. I can’t just break the ice on any topic since I can’t think of anything at the moment.

When we finished our food, Sousuke stood, “I’ll wash the dishes. Take care of the table.”

I nodded and did what I was told. After tidying the table, I went straight to the washroom and brushed my teeth. I even splashed my face with cold water since the caffeine did not hit the spot.

“You done,” Sousuke inquired, knocking on the door.

I went out after I dried my face, avoiding his eyes. I heaved another sigh as I slumped on the sofa, staring at the bags. This scene was ‘nostalgic.’ However, this time I am not surprised. If he’s leaving then I guess it was fine. We never got back together anyway. The past months were just fleeting moments. I looked at the ceiling and covered my face with a towel as I heard him go out.

I can hear his footsteps getting closer from where I was sitting. “Makoto,” he called my name. I didn’t want to respond, but alas, I did.

“What?” I answered, removing the towel from my face.

He sat beside me and handed a manila envelope, “Here.”

I took the item and opened it. There were documents inside. One is a deed of the place with my name on it. Wait, this place was named after him. I looked at the man beside me and me partly smiling. “What’s the meaning of this?” I quizzed, there was no way I’m accepting this place.

“It’s obvious, the place is yours. There’s no need for you to move out and search for another apartment,” he answered. “Besides, I’m not going to be here often since I will still train abroad.”

Abroad, huh? Of course, he never intended to stay in the first place. I guess I perceived everything correctly. Everything was just a fleeting moment. There’s no way he’ll come back for good. No way that he’ll come back to me.

“I thought you’ll still be in Iwatobi until February,” I said, returning the documents in the envelope.

“Yeah, what of it?” he told neutrally.

I don’t understand. If he’s leaving the place, it means that he’ll be going back to Australia. Wait, the deal was reversed. He’ll move out instead me, that’s why he gave me this place. “Five-”

“I wonder if it’s alright for me not to go to the café today?” he asked, “I’ll have to go to my new place.”

I didn’t answer. It’s not as if he wouldn’t go if did not agree. “Where is your place?”

“Want to accompany me?” he answered with glee.

I accepted his offer. There’s no harm in that. I’m already late for work, but I can just extend my time today. I’ll just help him out his bags. Not that there were so many.

I had a backpack with me as we descend the stairs. We walked for more than a minute and stopped at a gorgeous building. This one was built a couple of months back and people were saying that the units were like hotel suites. I rolled at the thought of him moving out because of luxury. We were greeted by security and a receptionist and got in an elevator. We alighted at the third floor. The hallway was too much with its gold and red theme. Furthermore, there were only two doors on each side. I can imagine how vast this flat could be.

Sousuke tapped a card on the door’s sensor and he opened it. I followed and I was not surprised at all. It was huge for one guy alone, not to mention it’s fully furnished.

“So, you’re taking a day off because you want to enjoy this place?” I confirmed placing his bag on a carpeted floor.

“Not really. I still have other documents to accomplish,” replied Sousuke.

“May I ask why did you buy such a place?” I think I know the answer, but I was hoping there would be another reason.

He grinned and gestured me to follow him. I did and we entered the main bedroom and he opened another door. He peeked inside and it was the bathroom. What’s with this bathroom?

“There’s a gorgeous tub! And it’s not just a normal bath tub, it’s a whirlpool!” he described the toilet as if it’s the most beautiful place on earth. “An athlete needs a hot whirlpool after a day of training to ease muscles.”

“Okay,” I responded as so not to be rude. There are times where I can’t figure out his antics and life priorities.

“And there’s one more thing,” he hurried towards the window.

Alright, what’s outside this window? I peered through it and I all I can see is a vacant lot and another building. To be exact, it’s my place and the window around fifty meters from here is belongs to my unit. Seriously?

“I can see you from this window, isn’t great?” he said like a happy kid.

“There’s a vacant lot. There would be a time that another establishment will rise up from there,” I told him.

“I’ll just buy that lot and make sure it stays vacant,” he replied, grinning too much.

I just shook my head, “So you moved out because of a tub and a window?”

“It’s important to me,” he answered, he slowly closed our gap and wrapped his arms around me.

“Thought you were mad,” I uttered, cozying up on his embrace.

“I already knew you are cruel at times. But I was quite disappointed that you didn’t remember. You were so nee-”

“Stop!” I covered his mouth with my free hand. I don’t need to hear it. I know what I was like whenever we fuck, so no need to say it audibly.

“Fine,” he said, pulling me closer. “Since it’s almost the end of our deal, won’t you say it?” he whispered, his breath tickled my ears.

Honestly, it was tempting. What do I really feel? Do I want him back? Of course I do. I wanted to profess all my feelings to him. But how can I? Can I just admit it out loud? He should know it by now. He’s not that dense.

I brushed my lips gently on his, “Five. We still have plenty of time.”

“I’ll wait then,” he responded, stealing a peck from me.

* * *

  
“Why are you here?” Haru asked as he saw me in the office. It was still lunch time and he’s here early.

“I have a shift every Saturday, right?” I answered. Haru remained silent after I replied. Don’t tell me he knew what happened in the party. Great.

“Do you want to leave early?” he quizzed, he looked somewhat happy.

“I can extend if needed. Why?” I told him.

My best friend smiled at me. That tiny curve of his lips meant something, “You’re aura can make cherry blossoms bloom during winter.”

“What are you saying?” I don’t understand it.

“Come on, you know what I mean,” he teased. I fully understand what you’re saying dear friend, but I’m not spilling. “You can leave early if you want,” he winked at me.

“You’re spoiling me, Haru,” I told him.

“You deserve him. I mean, you deserve an off today,” he said, his persuasive abilities are being obvious now.

“I’ll finish my shift at three. No need to push me,” I said. I’m not in a rush. Sousuke’s place was near. I’ll tell him later. I’ll tell him what he wants to hear.

* * *

  
The last hour was quite hectic. There were a lot of patrons at this time and everybody was busy. I can’t just leave when all of them are busy. I was tapped by Haru as he told me to leave and that he can handle everything since the other new hires already arrived. I agreed somehow and left the café ten minutes later.

When I reached the third floor, I stopped in front of his door and searched for the spare key card in my bag. Once I found it, I tapped the card onto the sensor and it beeped the door unlocks. I entered, taking off my shoes and placing it neatly on the side. There was another pair. I’m not sure if it belongs to him or he had a guest. I’ll just have to see it for myself.

There was another door before I could reach the living room. I bet he was there, watching something. I should’ve brought snacks with me. We could watch a movie. Then, I opened the door and saw something I never expected. There he was pinned on the wall kissing another guy with the same height and olive-hair as mine. Huh? What the hell is this? Fuck. Of course, five years had passed. I laughed at what I realized and I was so stupid to believe it; an idiot who have clung to him for years.

“Sorry,” I uttered as I closed the door. I heard him calling my name, so I hurriedly wore my shoes and left this damned place. I have to get out quickly or I’ll just end up being swayed again.

The elevator took too long so I opted to use the stairs. He was running after me as I descend. My body should have been able to withstand this running activity, but for some reason, I was out of breath and my heart constricted painfully as I if I was stabbed.

“Wait Makoto!” he shouted as he followed me.

I ignored his call and continue climbing the stairs. A little more. Just a little more. I hastily slam the door behind me, locking everything. I heard knocking. It was him. He was calling my name again. Just stop it. I don’t want to hear your voice. I don’t want to dream that everything will be back on track.

No more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE END
> 
> I'm kidding.


	16. Iris

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, this is unbeta'ed.  
> Second, I really can't commit on a weekly update because of RL. XD  
> Third, *peace sign* because of the sudden plot twist XD  
> Fourth, let me explain what really happened. XD  
> Fifth, enjoy!

It’s been days since Sousuke saw Makoto as he was busy with training. He tried going to the café before business hours last Monday, but Yuki told him that the manager was absent for that. He knew it was his fault. He was so close and he just blew off his second chance.

It’s Friday and the weather outside seemed to be depressing. The teal-eyed man gazed Makoto’s window from his place, but as always, the curtain blocks everything. He watches that particular window every night, just in case. He sighed as nothing happened after a few minutes.

It was almost time for him to go to is part-time work and he hopes he could talk to Makoto. He reached for a coat and wrapped a scarf around his neck. Even though everything looked gloomy, today was better than the previous days where the snow suddenly poured hard. Sousuke took his key card before he opened the door. He was greeted by a certain olive-haired with green eyes.

“What are you doing here, Stefan?” told Sousuke. He was certain he told this guy to back off.

A smile flashed from Stefan’s features as he wrapped his arms around the teal-eyed man, “What’s with that attitude Sou. I haven’t seen you in months and you treat me like this.”

He pushed the man away gently, “How am I supposed to treat you? There was nothing between us. Stop your delusions and go back in Australia or some faraway land. I granted your wish already.” Sousuke stepped out of the doorway and closed the door behind him, checking if it was locked correctly. “I have to be somewhere, so bye.”

Stefan tugged the other’s arm, “He’s not there. What’s the point of going to place like that? Let’s go out!”

Sousuke rubbed it off and continued sauntering toward the elevator. He can’t blame the guy for chasing him. He used him before, but he never laid down the conditions in the first place. The teal-eyed man knew that he needed to fix that situation before coming back in Iwatobi, but Stefan vanished abruptly months ago and no one knew his whereabouts. He thought he was lucky, but then he was dead wrong about it. And this guy appeared in the worst part. The heavens must have hated Sousuke really.

The elevator doors was about to close when Stefan stepped in, “You’re really cold, Sou. And I don’t think it’s just the weather.”

Sousuke remained silent. If he opened his mouth, he might just blurt out something terrible and Stefan doesn’t deserve those words.

After a while, they were both heading to the café. Sousuke prays for Makoto to be there and at the same time not because of Stefan. He can’t just shove him off.

“Do you love him that much?” asked the olive-haired man.

“Yeah, so damn much that I’m willing to retire just to woo him forever,” replied the taller man.

“Is that so?” uttered Stefan, smiling while looking at the snow-colored pavement. Heaving a sigh, “Well, I think I should go somewhere alone today. I’ll still drop by uninvited, you know.” He turned around and walked off to another street.

Sousuke didn’t get the sudden decision of the other man, but he has other concerns at the moment. He went inside the café and he saw the usual faces of the opening shift. He was quite surprised that Ryo was here as well since he knew that the other was assigned as a manager at the second café.

“Morning,” he told everybody and his eyes focused on Ryo, “I thought you were already assigned at the other café?”

The older barista tensed and took some time to answer, “Well, you know, uhm, the boss was still not feeling well, so uhm, Haru-san asked me to be here while he supervises the others.”

Sousuke noticed the pretense and just dismissed the thought. This guy definitely was hiding something. He looked at Yuki who was shaking his head while Jun was trying to be very busy.

He tapped Ryo’s shoulder, “You know you’re not really a good liar.” He smiled at the barista and entered the back door. He’ll just visit the other shop after his shift.

* * *

  
“Good morning! How may I-uhm,” Kise was baffled by the man in front of him. He looked somewhat like his boss, but with western features. He could say that he looked almost the same.

“Hello, uhm is Tachibana Makoto around?” asked the customer.

Kise sighed in relief that this guy knew their language well, “Uhm, Tachibanacchi was doing something. I’ll inform him.”

“Great, I’ll wait upstairs,” he smiled and uttered, “I’ll get a Hot Double Dark Chocolate.”

That smile was angelic and Kise shivered since it was similar to his boss. He acknowledged the foreigner’s order and confirmed his name. He made the ordered beverage in a minute and handed it to the guy named Stefan.

“Kurokocchi, take care of the counter for a minute. I’ll just talk to the boss,” request the blonde to his old friend.

The other barista with a pale blue hair agreed and approached the counter.

Kise rushed inside opened the office door in haste as it almost smashed the wall.

Makoto was surprised by the sudden intrusion of Kise, “What it is, Kise-kun?”

“Someone by the name of Stefan was looking for you a while ago. He told me to pass the message. He’s waiting upstairs,” narrated the model.

The brunette stopped typing, “Understood, I’ll be there in a while. You can go.” Kise nodded and left.

The name did not sound familiar at all. Surely, he never hanged out with foreigners before. He might be a patron that he had overlooked, but anyways, he’ll just have to meet this guy. He climbed upstairs and saw a guy sitting on a couch at the farthest corner. He approached customer, but stopped half way when he remembered this guy. He was not sure, but his gut was telling him something.

“You must be Makoto,” the customer started, smiling at the sight of him.

Makoto wanted to walk back and head out of the café. He wanted to escape this guy no matter what.

“Please join me,” he invited, directing to the seat in front of him.

The manager sat and did not utter anything. He looked at the guy in front him. He felt awkward because he was face-to-face with a guy that almost looked like him, well with a slightly longer hair.

The customer scratched his nape, “Wow, this is awkward. Wait a moment,” he took a band from his pocket and brushed up his bangs, tying his hair. “There. Well, uhm, I’m Stefan Jones. It’s nice to finally meet you, Makoto.” He offered his hand and the other accepted reluctantly.

“Same here, uhm, well, how may I help you Mr. -”

“Just call me Stefan.”

“How may I help you, Stefan?” repeated the manager.

“Well, I won’t chit chat so I’ll say what I have in mind,” Stefan started. The other remained silent, so he continued, “So I finally understand why Sou looked my way a lot of times before. The reason is in front of me. Olive hair, green eyes, almost the same height and built, wow…”

“You said that you won’t beat around the bush,” remarked Makoto, his eyes narrowing.

The other man snickered, “Fine. So, I’ll ask you, Makoto. Do you love Sousuke?”

There was no answer and Stefan continued, “Because I love him and I don’t care if I’m a substitute or not. I want Sousuke. He clung himself into a delusion that you were waiting for him here. If you don’t love him anymore, just let him go. He doesn’t deserve someone who has no feelings for him.”

“What do you know?” muttered Makoto, his fist clenching the table cloth.

“What I know is that he utters your name every single time that we fuck each other. He even says while snoozing and it was kind of annoying, until I realized that he had not moved on. How many years have passed since the two of you have broken up? Damn, it was so stupid,” said Stefan, drinking his hot beverage.

“Then he shouldn’t have left,” whispered the other, glaring at the man in front of him, “If he didn’t do that, I would not have clung to the delusion that he would someday come back to me. I wouldn’t have cried every night. I wouldn’t have to plaster a fake smile to every person around me. I wouldn’t feel so miserable when I saw you both locking lips last time. Do you really think I don’t deserve him? Do you really think I don’t have feelings for him? The oceans would dry out first before I loose every drop of love for him.” Makoto felt a heavy burden in him as he rested on the backrest of the seat. He looked up the ceiling, “Stefan, what do you really want?”

A small smile formed on Stefan’s lips, “I just want to confirm your heart. Thank you.” He rose from his place and walked towards the stairs.

Makoto continued looking up. He covered his eyes with his palm. It was quite a good thing that there was no one upstairs yet. He just said something that never meant to be said out loud.

* * *

 

Sousuke was in a hurry to leave when Haru pulled him in his office. “Nanase, I-”

“Damn, call me ‘Haru’ already, Sousuke,” intercepted the raven-haired.

“Tsk, Haru, still sounds weird, oh well. Haru, I have to go or I’ll miss Makoto on his way home,” pleaded the taller man.

“Leave him alone for a few days. He was in shambles for years and you made everything even more complicated when you came back. I don’t blame you, but at least let his heart rest for a while. I’m not supposed to support you on this since you blew up this second chance, but you’re the only one who can put a smile on his face. So, just wait for a few days,” demanded Haru, chopping Sousuke’s head gently.

“Do you really think that’s the best move now?” quizzed the taller man.

“To be honest, I want to stack you inside a garbage bag and throw you into the Pacific Ocean, but I’m letting you have a third chance. This is my last warning. Strike three in baseball means out,” threatened the raven-haired.

“And they say I’m scary,” commented Sousuke as he exited the office.

* * *

  
Another few days had passed and Makoto was with his family to spend Christmas together. The twins were still playful even though they were already adults. The usual holiday routine happened. They go out and shop for presents while his mother cooks all her signature meals at home. It was the same old practice. On their way home, they met Rin and the redhead handed his flight ticker to Toronto. Makoto almost forgot his best friend’s wedding and he knew that Haru would forever loathe him if it happens.

At the eve of Christmas, his family exchanged presents and ate the usual Christmas dinner. He was not complaining. The food was always scrumptious. His mother was still the best cook.

The olive-haired man lied on bed, waiting sleep to come. He yelped when his mobile phone rang. He reached put for it and looked at the caller. It was Sousuke. “After days of silence, he calls now?” he wondered. He pressed the drop button and put his phone away. However, the phone rang again and he immediately dropped the call. He switched it to silent mode. A minute after, a light flashed from the phone, Makoto peered and it was a text message. He opened and it read:

 

> _I know that you don’t want to talk to me right now, but I’m just asking you to listen. You can drop the call right after. Please, Makoto. I’ll call one more time._

The brunette did not type a reply. He just looked at his mobile phone for a moment. Then, it vibrated. He pressed the answer key and just listened.

_Makoto? Are you there? Well, uhm, Merry Christmas… and uhm, well, I’ll just have to tell everything since I don’t think I’ll have the opportunity after this. My coach in Australia contacted me two days ago and he told me that I need to come back to Sydney a week after the New Year. Well, Rin was excused, but who cares? Anyways, uhm, I should have been honest with you. I should have told you about Stefan. Well, he was the guy I was kissing last time. Don’t get me wrong, it was a request from him. He did it for closure or something. There was nothing between us. I laid my eyes on him the first time and I thought I was hallucinating because I’m seeing you. He was physically a lot like you, so I slept with him a couple of times. But he was not you. There’s only one Makoto for me. I felt awful whenever I use him, it was the same when I was using you for Rin. I told him it was over and it was never going to happen again. Then, he disappeared just before I left Sydney. I was quite relieved because I don’t know how will I explain everything to you. It slipped my mind completely when you’re around me. I’m really sorry… Makoto, I’m not asking for you to forgive me because I know that I don’t deserve it ever, but at least let me love you still. You don’t need to love me back this time. Makoto, I will always love you._

There were a few seconds of silence and Makoto pressed the end button.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you!  
> So only two chapters left. XD
> 
> SOUMAKO FINALLY HAPPENED!!! WOOHOOO!♥


	17. Breakdown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ONE - Unbeta'ed as always XD  
> TWO - I really apologize for not updating because I'm so busy T-T  
> THREE - Forgive the grammar and some lacking words.  
> I really tried to write this as fast as I could and I'm getting dizzy because of lack of sleep.  
> FOUR - Enjoy!

The view outside was cheerful. There were so many people walking hand in hand with families and loved ones. The decorations around town were sparkly and colorful. Plus, there are kids everywhere. Sousuke sighed while watching and he turned his gaze towards the people in front of him.

“So, why am I chaperoning the two of you on Christmas day?” asked Sousuke after he sipped his black coffee, rolling his eyes at the couple who have just arrived at the restaurant.

“You seemed very lonely, so we decided to invite you for lunch,” answered Rin, grinning back at Sousuke.

The teal-eyed man just sipped his coffee again in silence. Guess he wouldn’t be alone this day and mope around being emo on the ‘supposedly’ most festive day of the year.

“So, any progress?” quizzed the raven-haired. “Any plans?” Haru added as the taller man just shook his head. “Are you giving up on him?”

“Definitely no,” Sousuke finally answered.

“That’s good to hear because I don’t want my effort be put into waste,” commented Haru. “Next time I’ll just bulldoze or pummel you both because of your idiocy. Oh yeah, I did say this was your last, right?”

“When did you get so brutal, Haru?” asked the dark-haired.

“Since Rin let me watch those purportedly ‘manly’ DVDs he brought with him,” replied Haru, waving a hand to waiter to add another order.

“It’s better than watching sea creatures every fucking day,” retorted the redhead.

Sousuke just scoffed at the couple’s bantering with a drop of jealousy. He watched how Haru hand-chopped Rin’s forehead that made the redhead quite furious. They just stopped when their meals arrived. They in silence until Rin broke it off.

“Just going to remind you that our flight will be eleven in the evening,” Rin told his friend.

“Yeah, I know. I packed my luggage already if that will put you at peace,” answered the teal-eyed.

Rin said something, but Sousuke was distracted by his vibrating phone. He excused himself from the two to answer it. “Hello?”

_Sousuke? Just making sure it’s you._

_Tsk, how did you get my number, Stefan?_

_One of the trainers gave it to me. Don’t be mad._

_Yeah, fine. What’s up?_

_Are you free right now?_

_Nope, I’m having lunch with Rin and Haru._

_Third wheel?_

_Whose fault was it that I’m third-wheeling on Christmas day?_

_Don’t blame me on something that you started!_

_So, everything’s my fault now?_

_I didn’t say that._

_You sound like it, you know!_

_Sousuke, please calm down. I am not calling you to fight. I just want to talk to you in person. Please?_

_Tsk, fine. I’ll meet you somewhere after this. Just text me where, okay?_

_Alright, thank you. I’ll see you later._

_Yeah._

Sousuke returned to his seat and continued his meal. Rin asked if the one who called was Stefan. He didn’t ask why, so Sousuke didn’t bother to explain. He just continued what he was eating. It looked really delicious, but somehow his appetite was strange today. He just ate like normal, so not to be rude to the couple who bothered inviting him.

After an hour of chat and desserts, Rin and Haru told him that they will be going shopping. He said that he needs to be somewhere, so he bid them goodbye. Seconds after that, his phone vibrated, so he took it from his pocket. There was a message from Stefan. They will be meeting at a newly opened café inside the downtown mall. He hailed a cab after that and as it started to move, he saw his beloved walking with the twins. He wanted to stop the driver, but he knew that Makoto wouldn’t bother.

* * *

“So what do you want to talk about?” asked Sousuke to the guy across the table.

Stefan smiled bitterly, “So blunt. You’re not even going to greet me ‘Happy Holidays’ now?”

“Merry Christmas,” said the other with a plain tone.

The olive-haired just sighed, “Well, same to you, I guess. Anyways, can you like treat this as a date?”

“I’ll be taking my leave then. I’m quite tired, you know,” Sousuke replied coldly. He was about to leave when Stefan pulled his arm.

“Don’t be so cold. I know I ruined things, but it’s not just my fault, Sousuke,” uttered the other.

The taller man returned to his seat, “Sorry for being cold. The weather’s getting into me. Seriously, I don’t think I’m treating you nicely. I’m kind of blaming you for everything right now.”

“I know that perfectly, but you know I’ll forgive you if you do me a favor,” replied the brunette, after sipping his coffee.

“What is that?” quizzed Sousuke cautiously.

“Go get Makoto,” muttered Stefan with a plain smile. “I don’t care what trigger you need, but both of you are idiots. You both love each other, but you’re hurting each other. You’re like a pair of closet masochists, you get me?”

“You’re not the only one who said that,” the teal-eyed giggled. “I’m really sorry, Stefan. And, well, uhm, thank you for the encouragement I think. I’ll see what I can do.”

“Seriously, I’m getting a headache because of the two of you. I think my blood pressure would increase anytime soon if you two don’t get together A-S-A-P!” commented Stefan while massaging his temples. He laughed once more when he saw Sousuke smiling genuinely for the first time.

* * *

Sousuke can’t believe that he fell asleep. He was quite lucky that he managed to check-in online this morning and all he has to do was to drop-off his luggage at the counter. After the attendant gave him his boarding ticket, he dashed towards the waiting area. He saw Rin and the redhead instantly reprimanded his best friend. Rin was furious because he kept calling Sousuke’s phone for the past three hours and the other didn’t even bother to answer.

“Not even a single text, Sousuke!” bawled the redhead.

“I am already here! Quit bitching out, Rin!” howled the other.

“He was just worried about you,” interfered Haru standing in between the two.

“Hahaha! Sou-chan was late! I bet you fell asleep,” remarked Nagisa, laughing together with Momo.

The teal-eyed man just ignored it and searched for a vacant seat. His adrenaline rush was all used up with all the panic and running in the airport. He saw Makoto sitting near a pillar with his carry-on luggage. He was listening to music. Sousuke just watched him for a moment and when Makoto looked his way, he stiffened. On the other hand, Makoto adjusted his headphones and closed his eyes.

“This is going to be a very long flight,” Sousuke thought.

* * *

It was past noon when they reached their hotel in Toronto and most of them are hungry. The older Mikoshiba and Gou together with Rin’s mother welcomed them since their flight was earlier than the others. They ate lunch first before checking-in since they still have some time. 

There were only few invited guests since their wedding was planned in haste, but the atmosphere looked like there were hundreds of people. The Mikoshiba brothers were as loud as ever. Kisumi and Nagisa somehow managed to be fascinated by everything they see and it was almost embarrassing, but hilarious nonetheless.

Sousuke watched silently as he was approached by Rin, “Dude, we have a problem?”

The taller man was startled by Rin’s sudden whisper, “Don’t scare like that! What is it?”

“I tried booking another room for you since I just remembered that you and Makoto will have the same room. However, there’s no vacancy and I tried calling other nearby hotels. Unfortunately, every room’s booked since it’s the holiday season,” narrated the redhead.

The other looked at Makoto’s seat as the brunette laughed at whatever Kisumi is saying at the moment. “Well, I’ll think I’m gonna take the couch tonight. Thanks for the effort, Rin. But Makoto will have to deal with me anytime soon. ”

“Got that,” replied Rin, massaging his best friend’s shoulder. “Good luck. Really, I mean it.”

“Thanks, Rin,” uttered the dark-haired.

* * *

It was awkward being alone with Makoto in the elevator. Since their room is in the 17th floor, it was further way up unlike the others whose rooms were on the 12th and 14th floor. Rin and Haru’s room was on the 20th, but their elevator was different. Sousuke was restless; he was either staring intently at his watch or gawking at the blinking lights on the elevator. A few more seconds past and both reached the 17th floor.

Sousuke searched for 1703, but he went the wrong way. It was fortunate that he heard Makoto opening a door. He followed the other and entered their suite. Their room was definitely a suite. It was large enough for six people or so, but then again Rin booked this before that ‘incident’ happened.

Makoto went straight to the bedroom to peek. As he saw that there’s only a King bed, he breathed deeply. “There’s only one bed,” he stated.

“I’ll take the couch!” yelled the older man.

“You sure?” asked Makoto.

“Yeah, I don’t mind. The couch is wide enough for me,” answered the teal-eyed.

“Suit yourself,” uttered Makoto and he entered the room.

Sousuke slumped himself on the couch and just watched the clock on the wall across him. He’s not sure how will he talk to Makoto. His ideas are draining in the sink and he is somehow in panic. He would have to take a quick nap.

Three hours passed, he woke up and decided to take a shower to relax himself. He would have to ask Rin for advice even though he knew that some of his answers would be outrageous. Sousuke thought that asking Haru would be a good option. Once he finished, he wrapped a towel on waist and went out of the bathroom. At the same time, Makoto went out of the room with a towel on his shoulder.

“Taking a shower?” asked Sousuke casually, sauntering towards the couch.

“Yeah,” answered the olive-haired. He was about to enter the shower when stopped and informed Sousuke, “Nagisa called a while ago and he wanted to have dinner downtown. The whole bunch will be there.”

“Copy that,” told the older man, sitting comfortably on the couch.

Makoto ignored Sousuke’s sinful form at the moment and just went in.

* * *

The Iwatobi-Samezuka group had a tiring dinner downtown. It was all because of the Nagisa-Kisumi-Momo Antics. They opted to take a bus, rather than a cab. There was light traffic and Kisumi was somehow being a nerd and reciting all the provinces and their respective capitals to Nagisa. Somehow, Sousuke was also at fault too since he got lost when they were crossing a street for a bus stop.

“How can you be lost when you’re following a big crowd?” howled Rin.

“I just took a wrong turn, Rin,” replied Sousuke, scratching the back of his nape.

“Brother, it’s great that we found him,” Gou said, standing in between Rin and Sousuke.

“We found him after thirty minutes because this idiot didn’t bring his phone with him,” snarled the redhead.

Haru had to butt in to calm Rin, “We have a big day tomorrow, so everyone go back to your rooms.”

“Yes, mommy!” chorused the group.

Haru just glared at them. The couple said good night to both of their best friends who are waiting for their elevator.

Once inside, the atmosphere was awkward again. Sousuke is getting used to this to be honest. He will just have to do it tonight or else, he’ll lose his chance again. Well, he thought a friendly and casual conversation would be a good start.

Makoto walked towards the balcony. The city lights were beautiful. He rested his chin on his palm and closed his eyes. He wanted to talk to Sousuke, but doesn’t know how to approach. “This is stressful,” he thought. He was alarmed when he heard the glass door open. When he turned, Sousuke was holding a bottle of champagne and 2 wineglasses.

“This doesn’t have any alcohol. It’s just a sparkly drink I found in the fridge,” defended Sousuke.

“Defensive, even though I didn’t say anything,” remarked the brunette, snickering at Sousuke’s expression.

“You might find it suspicious,” he answered, pouring the sparkly liquid in the glass and handing it to Makoto.

“I don’t,” replied the other, drinking from the goblet, his eyes set on the city lights below.

“That’s good to hear,” Sousuke was relieved, “Well, the truth is-”

“Are you happy, Sousuke?” asked the olive-haired out of nowhere.

Sousuke was dumbfounded and he did not manage to make a decent reply, “W-What?”

“I said, _‘are you happy?_ ’” repeated Makoto, sipping the rest of the fluids in the glass. “Because I’m not happy and truthfully, I’m filled with envy right now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really love cliffhangers. XD


	18. Back to Your Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is Unbeta'ed and I tried my best.  
> I wanted to post last week, but I was out sick and I can only write light stuff at that time.  
> I'm so ashamed of this chapter because of the CHEESE.  
> (Fluff and Romance is so hard to write than crack and angst)  
> And I think I've wasted 1k words on a 'certain' scene.  
> ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥  
> Enjoy!

Sousuke cannot say something back after hearing what Makoto just uttered. Did he mistakenly hear him asking if he was happy? If so, he would have to say no. He’s not happy at all because he couldn’t have Makoto. Was he being belittled about his feelings now? If Makoto can’t move on, then it’s the fuckin’ same with him. He did stray because of Stefan, but his thoughts were all memories with Makoto. He did something wrong and he tried to have a little redemption, but he failed. He –

“I said, ‘are you happy?’” he heard the brunette asked one more time as he sipped the rest of the drink, “Because I’m not happy and truthfully, I’m filled with envy right now.”

Envy? Envy for what? Envy for who? En –

The older man didn’t notice that the brunette was already in front of him, palms pressed on his chest. He accidentally let go of the goblet and it shattered on the floor. He just ignored it and slowly place both hands on the other’s hipbones, “Makoto – “

“I hate you. I hate seeing you right now. I hate that I’m overly envious of our best friends. I hate that I’m going to their wedding feeling like shit. I hate that you’ll be attending as well. I hate that you’re so close. I hate that I’m touching you. I hate talking to you. I hate what I’m saying,” Makoto said continuously, eyes pooled with tears, “And I hate that no matter how stupid this might be, I’m still going to forgive you. It’s because my love for you is way bigger than all of your mistakes combined.” The younger man let his forehead rest on Sousuke’s shoulder. “I think I have my limit, so be careful.”

“I don’t think I deserve that much love from you,” replied Sousuke, he does love Makoto for sure and he was glad to hear it.

“Shut up and just accept it, damn it! Here I am, telling you that I fuckin’ love you and you replied that you don’t deserve it? Then tell me who deserves me? Tell me because I will pull away from you at this instant,” growled Makoto, pooled tears started trickling down his cheeks. “I might be delu-”

“Me… no one, but me, I’m sorry I said that,” answered the teal-eyed man. “I don’t want anyone but you. I love you,” he pressed his lips onto Makoto’s, “I love you,” and he kissed him repeatedly while muttering that he loves Makoto.

Few moments had gone by, Makoto was still snifling and he slightly rubbed his eyes. His waist was encircled by Sousuke’s arms, there was no escaping from him obviously, “You’re so stupid and an idiot and a nincompoop and a fo – “

“Makoto, those words are all the same,” interrupted the older man.

“I know,” retorted the olive-haired, “and I’m stupid too.”

They looked onto each other and giggled, pressing their foreheads together. Then, it was silent.

Sousuke did break the silence, “Are we, uhm, well, are we good? Are we, you know, uhm,”

“Yeah, I guess we’re boyfriends again,” continued the younger man.

“Yeah, that’s cool, uhm this is awkward, Makoto,” remarked Sousuke, his brows didn’t know where to go.

Makoto smiled, “Yeah.”

“So what are we doing next?” quizzed Sousuke, his lips suddenly turned ice cold.

“We’re gonna fuck hard here in the veranda for the entire world to see,” told Makoto, winking at his lover.

“You serious about that?” clarified the older man, he would agree, definitely.

Makoto slapped the other’s head, “Idiot, you wanna get naked here and get your dick frozen?” He took the bottle and left Sousuke and sauntered back inside their suite.

The older man followed the brunette and slumped onto the couch as Makoto returned the drink into the cupboard, “Guess I can sleep on a bed tonight, huh?”

“Well, maybe, that depends,” said Makoto, walking closer to the sofa.

“What do you – oh,” Sousuke tried to ask, but the olive-haired man straddled his lap, removing his vest.

Makoto flicked his tongue onto the other’s earlobe; he knew Sousuke’s sensitivity well. The older man made a noise in between a purr and a growl and it made the brunette smirk as he felt a half-hard bulge frisking onto his own, “Do you want me?”

Sousuke heaved a sigh and nodded. No words slipped out of his mouth.

“Then answer this,” he nibbled a bit of flesh on Sousuke’s neck, “I make you weak at the worst of all times. I keep you safe, I keep you fine. I make your hands sweat, and your heart grow cold, I visit the weak, but seldom the bold. Who am I?”

“Wait, you seriously asking a riddle now?” Sousuke enquired breathily, covering his eyes as Makoto bit another skin just under his left jaw.

“How much do you want me? I’m not going any further unless you answer,” voiced the younger man, grinning at the other’s frustration.

“Uh, well, it’s uhm, fuck,” Sousuke can’t think of anything straight when his lover’s lips were gently gliding on his neck to his ears. He really tried to focus, but nothing comes to mind. He repeated Makoto’s riddle in his head a few times.

“No answer? I guess we can save this for another day,” said Makoto, trying to stand up from his position.

“Fear,” Sousuke finally answered and hell no to not screwing Makoto’s ass tonight. There was no other option.

Makoto licked his lover’s lips and stood up, unbuckling his pants sluggishly and enjoying Sousuke’s face. He swatted the hand that was trying to remove his pants faster and walked back a little. He then let go of his pants and it slid down his legs. After kicking away his jeans and underwear, together with his socks, sit astride on Sousuke’s lap again. A soft whine escaped the teal-eyed man’s lips when his erection was freed by the brunette, their hard cocks rubbing onto each other lazily and painfully.

Sousuke reached the side pocket of his duffel bag, he was being optimistic when he packed it a few days ago. He struggled to get it as he was being distracted by Makoto’s feverish kisses. He successfully took a bottle of lube and some condoms, but he stopped the younger man unbuttoned his shirt. Makoto’s toned physique and pert nipples were doing an extremely good job on distracting the dark-haired.

Makoto stretched an arm and grabbed a condom, “I’m clean. You?”

“Me too,” replied Sousuke, trailing peppers kisses from Makoto’s collarbone down to his left chest.

“Then, no need for this,” the younger man threw away the condom and held Sousuke’s cock with both hands, pumping it leisurely.

They invaded each other’s mouths with their tongues and tasted every bit of saliva from each other. Sousuke squeezed the bottle and Makoto smeared the gel-like fluid all over his lover’s shaft.

Sousuke focused on the pink nubs in front of him, he thumbed over it and it made the other shiver with ecstasy. He was satisfied with that for now.

Makoto continued stroking the older man’s length, bringing out a low groan from the other. He licked his lips as he saw Sousuke threw his head back and thrust forward into his hands a bit faster. Makoto held the base tightly, “Not yet.”

Sousuke growled and just palmed Makoto’s upper butt. He really had to remember that Makoto loves teasing him every single time that he’s charge. It was taking a toll on his mentality. He just wanted the younger man on his knees as he rode him from the back, but no, Makoto was the king of teasing. Makoto knew it well and his boyfriend knew Sousuke can’t do anything about it.

Makoto let go of the cock and with still sticky hands, he placed them flat on Sousuke’s hipbones as he tried to shift his position. He pressed himself to Sousuke, “I want your fingers, love.”

The older man did what he was told. He lubed up his digits and encircled his middle finger around the rim of Makoto’s hole. He pushed the finger inside, delving deeper as it swirls. Sousuke added another digit, but Makoto tensed, “Relax, babe,” he whispered.

Makoto arched back and then fell towards Sousuke as the third one came in since his lover’s digits were brushing his most sensitive gland. After an abusive minute, his dick grazed the Sousuke’s cock and protested that he wanted to be fucked right away.

He felt really full once the other’s dick was inside. Makoto breathed out heavily, arms reaching and grasping for Sousuke’s shoulders as he moved up and down gradually. He lifts and drops his ass onto the other’s dick in a steady rhythm, eventually leaning most of his weight onto Sousuke. The younger man bit his lower lip as Sousuke fondled his ass cheeks. The sensation of his lover’s touch was driving him insane and he wanted more of Sousuke’s length in him more than he’s having.

“Love, you’re leaking, I can feel your cum dripping,” Sousuke’s raspy voice reverberated to Makoto’s ears. “And damn it, you’re still fucking tight!”

Deep in lust, he ignored it and thrusted himself in wilder pace. He whimpered as the other’s cock hit his bundle of nerves again. He continued with his undulations, skins slapping onto each other. He gasped as he angled differently. The older man moaned under him, hands clutching the flesh of Makoto’s bum harshly.

“Damn it, faster, harder,” Sousuke snarled, hands roamed on Makoto’s skin. One hand cupped Makoto’s cheek.

Makoto licked the thumbed and turned his face to the right to suck on the older man’s fingers. He smirked and winked at Sousuke while increasing his pace from before, sinking his ass even lower. He felt his muscles tighten around Sousuke’s cock. The pressure was overwhelming, Makoto thought and he’s going to explode. Sousuke was not helping him because the older man stroked his dick vigorously and Makoto felt heavenly twice as he came messily on Sousuke’s teal shirt.

“I’m not yet done, Makoto,” murmured the teal-eyed. He pressed his feet flat on the floor and thrusted his hips hard into Makoto’s settling heat. Growling and thrusting for the last time, the older man shot his searing fluids inside his boyfriend.

The lovers fell on their side thanking the interior the designer for a big couch. Makoto’s leg rested on Sousuke’s, “Unfair, you’re still clothed.”

“You still have your shirt on,” replied the other, “and you came on mine.”

“I want you naked,” said the brunette, nose rubbing onto Sousuke’s nose.

“Another round and I’ll take off everything,” offered the dark-haired man.

Makoto kissed him hard, “Deal.”

* * *

“Rin, I thought you’re going to wear a wedding dress,” said Sousuke as soon as he saw his best friend.

“I insisted that he should wear one, too,” added Haru, holding in his laughter.

“You guys really think I would wear such a thing?” retorted the red-haired.

“Well, you do look good in a maid outfit,” commented Makoto, smiling a little too much.

“Not you too, Makoto. Come on, try to defend me here,” muttered Rin, “Wait, how can you say that I look good?”

“Gou showed us some pictures back in high school,” told Haru, kissing Rin’s hand just in case his lover would explode out of anger.

“You should – “

“Rin-chan, Haru-chan, the coordinator was looking for you!” Nagisa shouted from the other side of the lobby.

“Well, I guess I see you a bit later, Sousuke, Makoto. You should thank the heavens, Sousuke,” Rin uttered as he walked towards Nagisa.

Haru pulled Makoto away from Sousuke for a moment, “You two are really, well, back together?”

Makoto smiled sweetly, eyes bright, “Yeah, we are. Why?”

“You’re smiling genuinely and that’s the Makoto that I know,” Haru hugged his best friend, “I’ll go first, Rin might whine and cry if I don’t hurry.”

Makoto giggled as Haru left, then he was approached by Sousuke, “I guess we’re getting married next?”

The younger man was still staring at Haru when he said, “No, we are not.”

Sousuke’s eyes were wider than normal, his breathing almost stopped, “W-why?” There must be a good explanation on why Makoto’s denying an official union.

“I didn’t get to watch the Olympics last time, so I want to go this time,” explained Makoto, facing Sousuke as he played with the other’s necktie, “I want a gold medal first. If you don’t get a gold this coming Olympics, you can kiss your wedding proposal goodbye.”

The older man smirked, “Honestly, I was supposed to get the gold last time, but I wasn’t inspired enough, so you know I let others take it. Since you’re watching, I might get greedy and grab a gold medal on every category I’m in.”

“Oh really now?” uttered the brunette, wrapping his arms around Sousuke’s neck and pressing his lips lightly on the other. “I really hate you and your arrogance”

“No you don’t, you love all of me,” Sousuke retorted and began singing “All of me” out of nowhere. Makoto just kissed him to shut him up. “I love you, Makoto.”

“Hmm? I didn’t quite hear it. One more time,” told the brunette.

“I love you, Tachibana Makoto,” voiced Sousuke again. “I’ll get a gold, then I’ll propose in the cheesiest way that even you will be so embarrassed, then we’ll get married, then –“

“No need to get too excited, we’ve waited long enough,” said Makoto, planting another chaste kiss to his lover.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone for reading, commenting and leaving kudos.  
> I appreciate everything.  
> Really, THANK YOU! (90-degree bow)  
> ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥  
>  _I don't know when I would be able to post my new SouMako (chaptered)_  
>  fic, but it'll be better plot-wise.


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